Dual Desire
by 4quintessence
Summary: Post Game: After the CliffxFayt ending. Fayt's power brings HanLuke of Star Wars to the Eternal Sphere. A thrilling and elaborate adventure ensues as a new species threatens the galaxy and derails the negotiations on Mars for a new Pangalactic Congress. Visit fantastic planets, join in massive battles with the SO3 crew, and learn more about Cliff and Fayt's families. Unforgettable.
1. Chapter 1: A Surreptitious Kiss

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt

Rating: PG

**Introduction: **Okay so this is a sorta sequel to my first story: _A Love on the Sidelines_. It takes place literally RIGHT after the FaytxCliff ending in the game. Some of the character qualities from my last story are being continued in this one, such as Cliff's age being 31 and his painful past. This story will feature a linked Star Ocean & Star Wars universe with a LukexHan pairing (they are just too cute!), but it will be very much focused on the Star Ocean side of things - I'm pretty much plopping Han & Luke into the Star Ocean post-game world. Luke and Fayt are gonna work together to seduce their respective love interests and a new enemy unlike any other will threaten the galaxy's rebuilding efforts. We'll be visiting Mars, Midgard (mentioned in the Cliff game ending), Klaus III, Titan (Saturn's moon), Elicoor II, and two secret planets. Mirage, Albel, Sophia, Maria, & Nel join Fayt and Cliff on this fantastical journey, plus there will also be Fayt & Cliff's relatives... Lemons are chapters 6, 7, 15, a little FaytxAlbel in 18, plus the Epilogue.

Chapter Summary: So in this chapter there's a fiesty goodbye with the rest of the SO3 crew, then Cliff has a surprise for a frustrated Fayt, who also has something sneaky up his arm. Needless to say, he gets way more than he bargained for. There is implied AlbelxSophia and NelxClair. _Thanks to Spectralwings for pointing out that I didn't mention Fayt and Cliff arn't together yet! They're just friends._ Onto the show!

**Prologue (actual FaytxCliff game ending with insightful thoughts):**

_Inside the bridge of their ship, Fayt sits in his summer outfit beside Cliff as they cruise at a fast speed. A sweet and gentle love song plays in the background._

Fayt: Our ship is currently cruising smoothly at warp 15.2. Whew… At this rate, we'll arrive in the Sol System in several hours.

Cliff: Roger. At this speed, we should make it in time. But even if they form a new Pangalactic Congress, it'll turn out to be the same old thing: a bunch of self-important people isolated from the rest of the Federation. Nothing's really changed. It's ridiculous.

Fayt: Speaking of which, I heard some of the factions are searching for Maria behind the scenes.

Cliff: Yeah. I heard the same rumor. I guess that means that until they contact us there's no way we can meet up. Anyway, I doubt Maria will be found so easily. You see, it's basically an internal power struggle. As long as you're on Klaus (A/N: they're living together! XD), they'll concentrate all their energies on tracking Maria down. I mean, now that our universe is completely cut off from the 4D universe, Sophia can be nothing more than a figurehead. Maria, on the other hand, would be able to exercise some power. That's the way it goes.

Fayt: You know, Maria and me, we didn't fight for the fun of it. Why is it that people won't just leave us alone?

Cliff: Don't be silly. Do you really think they'd let you go your merry way after you defeated the Executioners bare-handed, when even the Federation fleet couldn't handle them? As far as they're concerned… You're just too dangerous to leave uncollared (A/N: Who's doing the collaring huh? ;D). The politicians have a job to do, too. They're responsible for providing those who elected them with a safer and more affluent life. I understand how you feel, but you really can't complain about this.

Fayt: Well, yeah. At least everyone seems to be working really hard to improve things. I guess I have to appreciate that.

Cliff: Anyway, don't worry so much. Those guys will do just fine.

Fayt: Yeah. Those two… I bet…

_Fayt goes silent and starts to think about his friends but ends up musing about how glad he is that he stayed with Cliff — he'd probably be a total wreck if he hadn't. The Klausian, as usual, is generally worried about Fayt since he's been awfully quiet lately, and he notices the kid's fetching forest green gaze seems dim and tired. After getting lost in each other's eyes for a good 5 seconds, Cliff suddenly feels awkward and looks away._

Cliff: Hey! Don't worry about other people now. Worry about yourself. Be careful! Ever since the fall of the Federation, Ophelia has been leading the remnants of Federation forces very well, in spite of her youth.

Fayt: Gotcha. I won't forget that.

Cliff: And get this… They say she's really h-o-t!

Fayt: I look forward to checking her out!

Cliff: You do? You know, heh, how should I say this… You've really changed, you're totally different from when we first met.

Fayt: It's all your fault! When I'm hanging out with you there's no point in trying to be serious!

_The camera zooms out of the ship they are riding in. A boosting sound can be heard and the camera blacks out. Cliff is thankful Fayt's mood has lightened up but the fact that he responded positively to checking out Ophelia actually irks him a bit. But Fayt not being so serious...that's a good thing in the Klausian's eyes. He supposes it is his fault though._

Cliff: Er… Sorry, kid.

--

**Chapter 1:**

The bridge went quiet again as Cliff tapped away at some buttons on the console in front of him, doing a routine systems check. With a gentle sigh, Fayt pressed his whole upper body into the comfortable molding of his chair and it responded by hugging him back and relaxing his overly tense muscles. He gave into the dual desires of his heavy eyelids and let them flutter downwards as he sat deep in thought.

_Did I make the right decision? _he briefly wondered to himself. _Yes...of course I did. Who do I feel most comfortable being around? Cliff. Who cheers me up when I'm down? Not Maria, not Nel, not Sophia, definitely not Albel. Who treats me the best and looks out for my needs, even when I don't? Cliff. And who do I…who makes me…who saved me from…? Cliff, Cliff, Cliff..._

Suddenly his eyelids shot open and he remembered to breathe again. His thoughts surged fluidly into words. "...Cliff! Can I ask you for some advice?"

The blond stopped what he was doing and turned towards his companion. "Well of course ya can Fayt, that's what I'm here for isn't it? Shoot."

The bluenette paused for a moment, formulating the question in his mind so it wouldn't be _too_ direct. "Hmm, since you seem to have vast experience in dating and such, I was wondering if you could give me some tips on what to do if you're interested in someone and they don't really know about it. How would you break it to them and how would you show them that they mean everything to you?"

"You mean how would you **seduce** them?" Cliff clarified as he wagged his finger, let out a short snicker, and shook his head. Tingly gushes of warmth spread up through Fayt's neck and across his face like he was submerging into a hot spring. He quickly turned away and stared at the passing stars through the front screen.

Cliff stretched out his legs and brought his hands up behind his head before continuing: "Anyways, ya got it all wrong, kid. I'm probably not the best person to come to for relationship and dating advice. If ya wanna know the truth, I haven't had that much luck with the ladies in the past; especially with keeping a relationship goin'. Why do ya think I haven't hooked up with anyone yet?"

It may have been rhetorical, but it was a good question and Fayt didn't have an answer. So Cliff went on. "I actually got a dinner date invitation from Ally, a fine young woman from Midgard, but I bet it'll turn out even worse than the fan letters I keep getting from old men. I never was any good at figurin' out what these women are really thinking. Just more ulcers for me, as always. All I want is a nice, relaxing dinner." (A/N: Cliff actually says this in his solo ending).

Fayt's lips curved skyward as Cliff expressed his bottled up frustrations. The bluenette saw it as a good thing that Cliff hadn't found anyone yet even though he was coming on 31. _Maybe he's looking in the wrong place…_

The blond leaned onto the armrest closest to Fayt and rested his chin on his palm. "So who's the lucky lady then, Fayt?"

_Shit_. _Umm…_ He shifted around nervously in his seat, feeling the Klausian's gaze burn into him. "I can't say yet," he offered, hoping naively this would be enough to silence an overly inquisitive Cliff.

"It's Maria isn't it?! That's why you were askin' about her earlier...What no? Well it must be Nel then? What!? Someone else? Hmmm…" The blond paused in thought for a moment and then shrugged it off. "Oh ya, advice...right, that's what ya want. I'd say to break it to them gently, take 'em someplace they enjoy to truly show tha'cha care. Really tell them what they mean to ya, make them something special like a dinner...or write a song maybe. I know that's what I'd want someone to do to me in that situation."

The bluenette's eyes suddenly widened in a mishmash of excitement and anxiety and he blinked speedily a few times before reading his companion's face and realizing that they weren't on the same level. Relaxing his shoulders, a little sad, he replied: "Those are some good ideas, Cliff. I'll keep that in mind."

"Ya really should talk to Mirage about it when we get back to Klaus." The blond turned back in his seat and remembered something important at that moment but Fayt soon interrupted.

"Speaking of Mirage, how is it not travelling with her anymore now that she's taken over the dojo? I hope I can make up for her not being around anymore."

Cliff immediately rolled his eyes in exaggeration and exhaled loudly. "Jeez Fayt, don't think so lowly of yourself. You're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. You're an awesome friend, I wan'cha to know that. I wouldn't let ya stay with me if I didn't think the world of ya…speaking of which..."

The blond jumped out of his seat like a bee had stung his bum and raced down the corridor to the lounge yelling behind him: "I have a surprise for you! Come back 'ere in a minute after I set it up."

Curling an eyebrow at Cliff's sudden departure, Fayt pondered what the Klausian had just said. '_You're an awesome __friend__…'_. He was spacing out again, his face somber and sullen. Suddenly, he felt a bout of frustration welling up within him and coming to a crescendo as he crossed his arms and sent his bottom lip inching outwards in a concerted pout. _Well what if I want more than that!_

--

_**A flashback to the farewell after defeating Luther…**_

Fayt, Cliff, Albel, Sophia, Nel, Maria, and Mirage had gathered in a circle in a grassy field to decide where they should each head off to now that their journey together was finally over.

Crossing her arms, Nel was the first to speak. "So Fayt, you first. What are you going to do now?"

"Well, I really want to help out in reestablishing a pangalactic government after this mess," he began with an idealistic air, casually scratching at some invisible itchy spot on his arm. "I think I might be able to help build something better, something that would really help people — like those who have been traditionally marginalized by the old Federation." At this he glanced over at Cliff with emerald eyes that dazzled in the tempting sunlight.

The blond flashed his teeth and replied: "Looks like we've got the same ideas in mind, Fayt. You're welcome to come with me and get involved in the nitty-gritty of the new politics of the galaxy if ya want. You'd definitely have major clout after wha'cha pulled off."

A spectacular sensation spilled through the bluenette's skin as he contemplated Cliff's words for all of one second. "Thanks Cliff, I'll take you up on your offer."

"YOU'RE GOING WITH CLIFF!? JUST LIKE THAT?" Sophia and Albel exclaimed at the same time before swiftly regaining their composure and waiting for an explanation. The blond glared at them with super evil puppy eyes of death.

"Don't rag on him guys," Maria broke in, masking her disappointment with her usual expressionless face. "I can understand why Fayt wants to travel with Cliff; I should know since he had the heart to rescue me and raise me along with Mirage. As for me, I don't want any part in the craziness that will surround us as the 'saviours of the universe' so..."

"...I'm going to stay on Elicoor with Albel!" Sophia suddenly announced, cutting Maria off like the turn of a radio dial.

"**WHAT!?**" everyone shouted, this time truly shocked.

"Ya, he offered to give me personalized training so I can improve my battle skills so I'm not just sitting on the sidelines healing others all the time," she explained glowingly as Albel hid his slight embarrassment by pretending to see something interesting off in the distance. Fayt found himself staring at Sophia with a worried look — he hadn't expected her to leave his side so easily. Cliff did his best horrified face.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. I'll keep an eye on him," Nel teased. "I think I'll stay with Clair for a while and help in the rebuilding of Arias. What about you Mirage?"

"I've gotta go back to Klaus and see how my father is doing. But now that I think about it, maybe it would be better for me to hide somewhere remote like the rest of you — minus Fayt and Cliff of course, the soon to be superstar heroes of the universe." She ran some fingers through the end of her long hair and grinned knowingly at the two.

"Hmph...he's too dangerous for you Fittir. You better keep him on a short leash," Albel jeered out of the blue before snatching Sophia by the arm and turning to march off. "That's how I like him."

--

Fayt sauntered cautiously down the hallway from the bridge, curious about what the crazy/beautiful Klausian had waiting for him in the next room. He did have an inkling, but Cliff wasn't the type to prepare for that sort of thing. As the door swished open before him he entered the lounge and stopped dead in his tracks. The spacious room was occupied by four circular tables surrounded by curved seats, but that wasn't what was unusual about the place. The normally bland, sterile design and decoration pervasive on starships was bursting with balloons of every colour in the rainbow and there were vases of vibrant violet snapdragons scattered around the room. There were long, curly green streamers hanging from the ceiling and a giant paper banner arced across one wall that screamed 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY FAYT!'. Each letter on the banner had arms and legs and was in a playful dancing pose and in the two spaces between the words were a miniature Cliff (in one) and Fayt (in the other) also caught in an enthusiastic dance stance.

Cliff was sitting contently on one of the cushioned benches with his long legs crossed on the table beside a decadent looking chocolate fudge cake shaped into sword.

"**SURPRISE! **HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAN! You're the big 2-0 now. Heh, someone's over the hill…" he bellowed with a cheerful wink.

Fayt quickly closed his gaping mouth and replied: "Thanks Cliff! I wasn't sure if you remembered 'cause you hadn't said anything all morning. I heard there was going to be some big thing for me once we got to Mars, but this...wow…this is much better..."

_Thank god Mirage reminded me June the 15th was Fayt's birthday before we left Klaus_, the blond mused with a sheepish smile brightening his face. "Me!? Forget? Of course not Fayt, don't be silly. Look, I even took the time to make this awesome cake for ya!"

"**You** made the cake?" Fayt questioned hesitantly, eyeing it with sudden suspicion. "I figured you just whipped it up with the replicator…"

Cliff crossed his bulky arms, his face beaming with pride. "It's not the same like that, it's not special. I actually made it from scratch with a little help from Mirage...okay maybe a lot."

The bluenette breathed sweet relief and started grinning like the Klausian hadn't seen in a long time — Fayt hadn't smiled much on their journey, especially near the end. But now wasn't the time for reminiscing on a painful past.

"Come 'ere you," Cliff gestured softly. "Time for yer birthday hug!" Fayt waded through the sea of balloons and slid down the seat to receive his friend's warm and strong embrace. The blond's silky-smooth hair smelled of luscious fruits from a recent wash, transporting the bluenette to an era of idle daydreams among the wild orchards near his home. He hadn't known what he had wanted then, but he did now. As Cliff patted him on the back, Fayt went limp in those muscular arms just for a moment as he savoured the rare, intimate touch of the person he secretly loved. He felt embarrassed though as the brush of the blond's chiseled chest against his own sent rousing rushes to certain sensitive areas of his body. He finally pulled back and stared mindlessly at the gooey cake.

"You okay, kid?" the Klausian asked, having sensed the brief breakdown.

"Of course I am!" the bluenette responded tersely and deceivingly. "This is great Cliff, thanks for putting it all together. It's just too bad none of our friends are here right now."

"Well, look at it this way," Cliff began as he grabbed the champagne bottle beside him and started pouring a glass. "We just saved the galaxy and it's a zany time for everyone...but look at the bright side — for what it's worth, I'm here. Besides, isn't it true that the people who really matter make time to show up on your birthday?"

As Cliff passed him the glass and poured his own, Fayt felt like he was being teased even though that wasn't the intention. _If only you knew how much you really matter to me…_ Right then and there, the bluenette impulsively made up his mind and let his teenage urges take over. He couldn't stand this anymore; this pretending that he was happy with the present relationship between them. But he still couldn't work up the courage to say it outright. So he decided to be sneaky about it.

They clanked their glasses together and Cliff toasted Fayt: "To the greatest person in the universe." That was it. After taking a long sip of the bubbly pleasure, the bluenette slid off the side of the bench and collapsed onto the floor, shaking all over like he was having a seizure and then closing his eyes, laying still, and holding his breath. _If I can't kiss you outright…_

This provoked the exact response he was hoping for from Cliff. The Klausian shot out of his seat and was kneeling over Fayt in an instant, gently tapping his face and feeling his pulse. _Come on… _Fayt hoped to himself. After mumbling the bluenette's name a few times, Cliff finally leaned down and touched his thick lips — moist from the champagne — to Fayt's own to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Fayt's eyes rolled up in their sockets as he savoured the warm, soft feel of the semi-kiss he had been dying for so long to have. He didn't kiss back though, lest his furtive plan be figured out, and then he felt the unworldly sensation of Cliff breathing two full breaths down his throat which made him cough and forced him to started breathing again.

Then something happened which he didn't intend at all. Strange supersensory images flashed through his mind, beginning with Earth exploding at the mercy of the Executioners and shifting to his father collapsing after being shot right in front of him. Pitch black memories from the depths of hell throbbed through his veins and seized control of his body: Ameena and Dion came up next, all the people he had met on the Aquaelie, then all the souls who had died in the war on Elicoor II, Hyda IV, the other Federation and Vendeeni spaceships, and in 4-D space...it went on and on until it ended with a vision of Fayt's serene neighbourhood on Earth and his home and college friends that no longer existed…all because of him.

Cliff jumped back from Fayt who had begun to glow ivory white as he lay on the ground.

"UH OH!" the blond shouted, shielding himself with his hands.

The bluenette unveiled his eyes and they suddenly pulsed with an unknown energy that rippled through his irises and burst out his forehead as a rune symbol. He screamed in pain and pressed both hands to his head, immediately recognizing what was happening but unable to do jack shit about it. The esoteric arts of the ethereal exploded from his forehead in a beam of blinding brightness that shot straight out of the ship and manifested itself in the cosmos outside, knocking the ship out of gravitic warp. A gargantuan, majestic rune materialized in the blackness of space surrounded by spiraling necromancy and the outer rim began rotating around a ring of symbols that each represented a quintessential physical law of the universe. It stopped on the symbol of a wall with four layers and thus one of the 4-D walls between the Eternal Sphere universe and another was destroyed, merging and connecting the two together across the three dimensions and **time **with unknown consequences. He had caused one segment of the multiverse to miraculously coalesce, but of course Fayt and Cliff knew nothing of this from their vantage point.

Fayt shone iridescently like the falling sun's rays on a prized oyster's pearl before the eerie radiance faded and the blond sped over again and knelt down beside him. "Fayt! You scared the crap out of me! This is bad...are you okay now?" The bluenette nodded his head and steadied himself to focus his eyes. He felt like he had been hit by a truck which had then backed up and rolled over his body a few times for good measure. Cliff continued: "I wonder what happened...ya must've destroyed something with yer power...but the ship seems okay…"

Suddenly, the alert system sprung to life. "Warning! There is an unidentified object heading straight for the ship at high speed."

"WHAT?!" the blond roared, jumping to his feet. "Well, what is it?"

"Please hold...scanning...it appears to be a giant asteroid that appeared out of nowhere."

"Appeared out of nowhere?"

"Yes, please get to the bridge, it will make contact in 30 seconds."

"SHIT!"

Cliff sprinted to the bridge and Fayt followed behind slowly, occasionally bumping into the walls because he couldn't walk straight. They both vaulted into their seats and the Klausian began jabbing away at his console, preparing an evasive maneuver. Fayt stared out the front screen in horror.

"CLIFF! We're in the middle of an **asteroid field**! My power must of knocked us out of warp...but the computer says there shouldn't be any asteroids in this part of space…"

"Fuck! It's too late, the ship's too big and it's not as nimble as the Diplo, we won't be able to get out of the asteroid's path in time!"

"You're giving up!?" Fayt cried, glancing at the blond's strained face. "...Hey wait a second...what's that over there…" he suddenly queried, pointing at an object on the screen that definitely wasn't a space rock.

**TO BE CONTINUED!**


	2. Chapter 2: A Skeleton in the Closet

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke

Rating: PG

Summary: Fayt and Cliff are suddenly smack dab in the middle of a dangerous asteroid field. How are they gonna get out of this one? More is revealed about the trauma that happened to Fayt between defeating Luther and leaving Klaus to participate in the negotiations for a new Pangalactic Senate. Luke and Han finally enter the picture, although their meeting almost derails, and Fayt finds another chance to woo Cliff.

**Note**: My Han and Luke are from right after they leave the ice planet Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back. I change the story a bit as Luke has already had his initial training with Yoda and he and Han (instead of Leia) are on their way to the cloud city to meet Lando. I wanted Luke to have force powers and to have the whole Han saving him on Hoth experience :D It also means he's still got that young, eager farmboy look to him, which he loses in the third movie. As always, much love to Zelavril and Spectralwings, my spectacular reviewers! THANK YOU THANK YOU!

**Chapter 2:**

"I DUNNO WHAT IT IS!" the blond hollered back, throwing his hands up in the air. "Now's not the time to be looking at space junk when we're about to be pulverized by a humongous asteroid!"

"Well why don't we just fire at it and hope…"

"It's too big," Cliff snapped, getting a sudden headache from the plethora of flashing alert lights and the computer's constant verbal warnings. "Our weapons won't leave much more than a dent in it. Now if we had a creation cannon that would be different..." He paused and glanced at the countdown on the console in front of him as his heart endeavored to beat right out of his chest — luckily it was held back by his skin-tight shirt. _5 seconds until impact...4...3…_

"There's only one thing left to do Fayt! Raise the shields, grab onto somethin', and hold on tight!"

"SHIELDS UP," Fayt cried to the computer before clutching onto the armrests of his seat for dear life.

_...2...1…_**B-O-O-M!** The colossal space boulder smashed into the Saviour with a bone-tingling bang followed by a horrible screeching sound as it scraped against the shields, violently rocking the ship and beginning to plow it off to the side and out of the asteroid's path.

"Shields down to 20 percent and falling!" the bluenette shouted as the ship's earthquake-like shaking slowly began to ease. His breathing was brisk and erratic and his stomach was churning in circles while he seriously contemplated that this could be 'it'…_How ironic_, he mused. _After all we've been through and done, it turns out to be a hunk of rock that defeats us in the end_. He managed to get a glimpse of Cliff to his right and he looked just as terrified — still, Fayt couldn't help but notice the muscles on his arms bulging and contracting with every tremor of the ship and his golden beach blond hair flipping this way and that over his tightly closed eyes. Suddenly, all was silent, the shaking had stopped.

"Are we dead?" Cliff muttered as he hesitantly pried open one eye.

The bluenette shook his head weakly. "No, if you can believe it. The shields held and the asteroid pushed us out of its way."

Cliff's eyes expanded to the size of dessert plates and he leaped out of his seat, throwing a fist into the air in celebration. "WOOOHOOO! We did it!! Oh shit that was scary...but it was awesome at the same time! Let me tell ya, that definitely beats any amusement ride I've been on…"

Fayt exhaled irritably and rested his forehead on his still trembling hand. "**You** are **INSANE**. You do know that right? We were almost killed and you're all excited and jumping around like some kindergartener!"

"Hey, lighten up eh? We're not gonna be taken out by some chunk of rock Fayt, I can assure you that. Ya have ta admit that it was a little thrilling though."

_God, how the hell am I attracted to this man again...? _Fayt glared at his companion with a cute wrinkled nose and a lopsided frown before a smile started to inexplicably spread across his face in response to the blond's happy-go-lucky, innocent expression.

"WHOA! WHAT HAPPENED TO YER HAIR, KID?" he roared all of a sudden, pretending he was having some sort of revelation. "Did all the stress make it turn blue?" Chuckling, he came over and affectionately ruffled up the younger man's locks. Fayt resisted the intensifying urge to tackle him and beat some sense into him with a lightning symbology.

Their merriment was short lived as more and more asteroids became visible on the scanners in addition to that strange looking object they had seen earlier. "How the hell are we gonna get outta here," Cliff wondered, suddenly becoming more serious and sitting back down. "Our shields are almost shot."

"Cliff, I think that's another starship over there. But it's a design I've never seen before, it looks like a saucer with a magnet on the front…okay, now they're hailing us! I'm putting it through..."

Fuzzy static filled the bridge for a few seconds until a deep, roguish voice began to speak through the crackle. "Hey there, looks like you're in trouble! The name's Han Solo, captain of the Millennium Falcon. Your ship just appeared out of nowhere along with these blasted asteroids. Don't ask me what's going on but I propose we work together to get outta here before we're both crushed to smithereens."

"Umm, I'm Fayt Leingod and I'll take you up on your offer. What's your plan?"

"Well, here's the deal. I've had plenty of experience with asteroid fields and this baby can maneuver like a charm so I'll go out ahead and scout the best way outta here and since your ship is so big, you follow behind and blow up any rocks that are heading our way. Of course, we'll steer clear of those the size of the one that rammed your ship."

"Roger. Over and out."

Cliff turned to Fayt and crossed his arms. "Nice one, kid. You always were good with strangers."

"Well, hopefully he won't kidnap me when this is over," the bluenette shot back, a playful hint tracing his voice.

They followed the Falcon through the maze of space rocks, expertly firing at any threatening ones and causing them to explode into harmless nebulosities of dust and grains. After what seemed like forever, they finally emerged into empty space with great sighs of relief — but not before the shields failed and a few errant rocks bashed into the ship, luckily causing only minimal damage.

"We should go over there and thank him and see if he knows anything about how the asteroids appeared," Fayt suggested, still gripping tightly onto his armrests.

"Ya, for sure. He seems like a nice guy."

"Mr. Solo," the bluenette began through the comm. link. "There's just two of us over here and we want to transport over and to talk to you face-to-face."

"**TRANSPORT?! **What does he mean?" a naïve, youthful sounding male voice shouted back.

"Sorry 'bout that — my pal here gets a little overexcited at times. I don't know what the fuck is going on so I'll just say yes, go for it…"

Cliff and Fayt stared confusedly at each other for a moment before making their way to the transporter room.

----------------------------------------------------

_**Flashback to before the trip from Klaus…**_

It wasn't entirely Fayt's choice to go with Cliff after they had saved the universe. Yes, the fact he had actually asked to go with the Klausian made things much simpler for his friends. The thing is, they would have forced him to go with the blond anyways...after what had happened.

They couldn't have left him on Elicoor II since he wouldn't have been safe from the clutches of countless species that would certainly come looking for him to use him to their advantage in the political negotiations. Naturally, Sophia and Albel were against the whole plan, but the rest of the group took no heed to their dissension. Those two had wanted Fayt to stay with them in Airyglyph.

You see, shortly after defeating Luther and before any decisions had been made on what to do next, the bluenette had tried to kill himself. In a fortunate twist of fate, Cliff had woken up early that night and been unable to fall back asleep, so he left the Aquarian castle to drop by the workshop to pick up a sleeping ring he had forged earlier (the whole crew had trouble sleeping after the stress they went through). As he neared the shop, the blond had heard tender, hushed whimpers coming from the nearby lookout so he had gone to check it out.

As he walked silently down the steps he spotted the luminescent screen of a quad scanner lying all alone in the grass like a forlorn fallen star, smoldering and sparkling in the dead of night. Cliff gingerly picked it up and discovered a spinning planet — Earth — staring back at him, its breathtaking beauty beckoning him closer. Touching the screen, a bunch of photos appeared in a slide show...pictures of Fayt with people Cliff didn't recognize, some pics of his college, then a photo of Fayt and his dad outside a stadium-sized battle simulator followed by a short video clip from his childhood of him and his dad wrestling on a beach with his mother laughing in the background. Suddenly, the moon came out from behind a cloud and splashed a pail of opalescent light on the landscape as the Klausian noticed a sallow shadow standing on the edge of the precipice nearby that overlooked the ocean far below. It was Fayt.

Cliff didn't remember very well what had happened next, much of it was a melancholic blur. He recalled seeing Fayt swaying back and forth in a mindless daze before he instinctively bolted to the brink and snatched the bluenette up in his arms. Fayt had thrashed around demanding to be put down so he could finish it...to free himself from the 'unbearable pain'. The blond could smell the unusual yet unmistakable odour of alcohol tempting like a devil off his friend's tongue. The young man passed out on the way back to the castle…

Mirage and Cliff had remained by his side through the rest of the night, hearing their companion mumble tearfully about how defeating Luther hadn't really changed anything...that everything he loved was still gone...his home, his father…. Not knowing what else to do and unable to stand it any longer, Cliff had gently slipped his hand over Fayt's smaller one in hope that it might soothe him down, and to his surprise, the bluenette stopped sweating, his breathing became deep and steady, and he finally dozed off.

"He trusts you, y'know," Mirage had asserted softly. "I don't think anyone else could have calmed him down like that. He needs to know someone will always be there for him….that he's wanted. Someone must keep him from returning to those dark thoughts, someone with a light-hearted attitude who reminds him of the positive things in life." At this she nudged a gravely concerned Cliff with her elbow.

"C'mon, he's a lot stronger than he looks."

"Ya Cliff, but even strong people need support — you should know. Having him go with you isn't just for his good. It's for **your** own as well."

And so it was. Fayt woke up the next day in relatively good spirits, having entirely forgot about the previous night's episode. And no one wanted to remind him either. But the effects of that evening were felt in the days ahead. Fayt definitely needed a full-time bodyguard in the wake of defeating Luther, and Cliff was clearly the best man for the job, as he had already proven. But the Klausian needed to be so much **more** than a bodyguard, he had to take care of him and make sure the past wouldn't surface and take hold of his friend again.

When they had arrived with Mirage on Klaus for a brief stopover, Fayt was already a bit of a celebrity (to put it lightly) and the government had offered him and Cliff a brand new ship as a token of appreciation. It was even bigger than the Diplo, although the two had no idea what they would do with so much space all to themselves — it even had a giant indoor pool. '_The Saviour_' Fayt had decided to christen it as he gazed gratefully into the amaranthine ocean of his older friend's eyes. _A fitting name_.

----------------------------------------------------

"Han," a gentle voice urged, "What are you doing?"

The captain was standing at attention in the lounge with his mocha-coloured eyes shifting uneasily back and forth. What was bothering the young man was that Han had taken his blaster out of its holster to 'welcome' their visitors. He eventually turned to meet the Jedi's gaze, briefly marvelling at how the latter's sandy-blond wavy hair shimmered in the dull light of the ship — it had an irrepressible sun-kissed sheen inherited from the dual suns of his home planet, Tatooine.

"Listen kid, I didn't just help them out for no reason. If some strangers are coming over here I'm gonna have the upper hand in this situation. Did you see the size of their ship? They're probably loaded."

Luke wrinkled up his face in annoyance, his soft features hardening behind his disbelief. He crossed his arms in his innocently white tunic. "Are you kidding me? We wouldn't have made it out of there alive without their help...and now you wanna take advantage of them?! We need to find out what happened and how we appeared in the middle of an asteroid belt all of a sudden on our way to Bespin." There was a long sigh and the next sentence came out with rising anticipation. "And if they can transport...maybe we've travelled into the future…"

Young Skywalker's eyes glazed over while Han shook his head and made a tsktsk noise. "I think all that Jedi training with Yodeler is getting to yer head, Luke."

"It's **YODA**, you…" His voice trailed off as he clenched his fist teasingly before continuing. "Han, seriously, put the gun away. What sort of impression is that going to make? This isn't the time."

Han ignored the reasonable pleas and turned away from his friend. In a flash second, Luke was at his side grabbing at the gun and trying to force it out of the captain's calloused hands. Although he was unsuccessful, the young man managed to coerce it downward towards its holster, wrestling Han along the way.

Just then, a bright turquoise radiance bathed the room as Cliff and Fayt materialized out of nowhere a metre or so in front of them. At that very moment, Luke's hand was dangerously close to Han's crotch as he tried to shove the blaster into its nearby case. The gun stuck out in front of Han like an erect penis, both of them fighting frantically over it. Cliff and Fayt's eyes expanded like popcorn at the humourous situation they had stumbled upon.

"**HOLY SHIT**," Han shouted as their guests arrived. There were beads of sweat forming on the chest hairs visible in the V-neck opening of his shirt from wrestling with Luke. _That kid sure is stronger than he looks_.

Luke let go of Han's wrists and spun around as his mouth immediately dropped to the floor. Stubborn as he was, Solo was about to raise the gun up again, so with an imperceptible flick of his fingers, Skywalker called upon _the force _and the blaster shot out of Han's hand and into its holster. It would not move from that position again.

"Hey there," Han began, yanking at the blaster to no avail. "So, you must be Fayt and…"

"Yes, I'm Fayt and he's Cliff," the bluenette replied hurriedly, pointing to the blond.

Luke couldn't contain himself. "HOW DID YOU JUST DO THAT?" he cried, eyes full of childish wonder.

Cliff looked taken aback. "Umm, don't tell me you've never heard of _transporting_ before?" He turned to Fayt and lowered his voice. "Maybe they're from an underdeveloped planet…"

The bluenette tapped his foot impatiently. "Cliff, what underdeveloped world has space travel, hmm?"

"Good point smarty-pants...Okay let's try this again. I'm Cliff Fittir, co-pilot extraordinaire of the Saviour. Nice to meet ya." He extended a hand and shook both strangers' vigorously. "Thanks fer the help back there, we couldn'ta done it without cha. So...do you two have any clue what happened? With the asteroids and all?"

Han responded with a gruff voice that rivaled Cliff's. "All I know is that we were merrily speeding along from Hoth on our way to my buddy's cloud city on Bespin when suddenly the stars disappeared and we were smack dab in the middle of a meteor storm! The Falcon can't even figure out what our co-ordinates are right now."

Fayt scratched the back of his head. "So what exactly did I destroy then Cliff? I don't know of any planets in our universe named Hoth or Bespin...and I would know too...I just had an exam on galactical geography before this whole adventure began."

The blond simply shrugged and turned back to Han. "So what did ya say ya do again?"

"I betcha won't believe it, but you're talking to one of the best smugglers in the galaxy — if not THE best. What about you?"

"Well whaddaya know, we've got something in common. I've done my share of smuggling through my home planet's resistance organization…"

As Han and Cliff carried on yapping to each other, Luke and Fayt brought their hands to their hips and rolled their eyes upwards. Noticing that they were both doing the same thing, Skywalker stepped forward and introduced himself to the bluenette before they both went to sit down by the holographic chess table.

"Seems like **they're** getting along just fine," he declared with a touch of petulance in his voice. Across the way, Han and Cliff burst out laughing and then continued talking noisily to each other (something about 'hotties' in resistance movements). "I think they've got similar personalities, what with their blatant overconfidence and all…"

"Tell me about it," Fayt snickered with a waggle of his head. "That man there, he once claimed to Nel — this woman we had just made friends with — that this castle we were staying in was 'just right' for him since he was of 'noble birth'. HAHA...I was so **embarrassed** that I didn't break down into hysterics like I wanted to."

Luke began to chuckle as he studied Fayt's unusual cerulean hair. "Ya, well Han once barrelled into a crowd of stormtroopers all by himself like a raging psycho to chase them away from us. It's truly amazing he made it out alive."

The bluenette cocked his head. "Stormtroopers?"

"I guess I better explain a bit about myself and where we come from and then you can tell me about yourself, and hopefully we'll figure out what's really going on here."

----------------------------------------------------

Well that didn't happen. After everyone had become thoroughly confused, Han and Luke decided that they would tag along with Cliff and Fayt and follow them to Mars where the negotiations for a new pangalactic government were scheduled to take place. From what they had been told, Mars sounded remarkably similar to the capital world of Coruscant from the Star Wars Sphere — those not living in the Milky Way even referred to it as 'the centre of the universe' (in a derogatory fashion, of course), a name previously reserved for Earth — so they hoped to find someone there who would know how they had suddenly appeared in a different universe, if indeed that was what happened. They were also anxious to find a way back to the Rebel Alliance's fleet since their presence there was vital to its survival.

Before the foursome could make the jump to hyperspace, the Saviour's shields needed time to regenerate in case they stumbled upon something else dangerous on their way to the Sol System. They would have no choice but to be fashionably late to the negotiations. Consequently, Cliff and Fayt returned to their ship to catch some shut eye.

Even though they had more space than they could ever use, Cliff and Fayt still slept in the same room like they always had during their journey across Elicoor. The big ship was a lonely place for only two people and sleeping in the same room, albeit in different beds, made the nights in deep space more bearable.

After finally making a respectable-sized dent in that rich chocolate birthday cake, they both slumped into bed exhausted from all the excitement the day had brought. This was one birthday Fayt would never forget.

As soon as he fell asleep, Fayt slipped into a dark, foggy nightmare. He found himself standing on the edge of a towering cliff after having involuntarily tossed his quad scanner onto the supple, swaying grass behind him. It felt vaguely familiar, and yet not so. He tried to scream salvation but no sound sprung forth, all control was lost. Soon he was falling, falling into an aphotic abyss; and then rising, rising upwards to a sitting position in his bed, excessively warm and feeling scared to the bone. _It's just a dream..._

He glanced over at Cliff's peaceful form and entertained an offhand idea that popped into his head. _Maybe I can use this crappy situation to my advantage._ Slipping out of bed, the bluenette sauntered over to Cliff's and began speaking in a loud whisper, gently jiggling the other's leg under the covers.

"Cliff, Cliff…"

The blond only partially woke up and turned to look at Fayt, grunting all the while and rubbing his eyes. "What? Fayt what is it? Are you okay?"

The bluenette stood in his pajamas with his elbows held in his hands. "I had another nightmare, I can't sleep, is it okay if I sleep in your bed?"

Cliff rolled over to one edge of the queen sized bed so he was facing away from Fayt and replied groggily: "Sure...if it makes ya feel better, safer…" And within seconds he was sound asleep again.

Fayt slid under the cozy sheets and snuggled up right next to Cliff's exposed back (unlike Fayt, he sleeps without a shirt), staring at the ceiling and enjoying the comforting warmth emanating from his sexy, muscular companion. Suddenly, a curious calm spread through the bluenette like an invigorating ocean breeze — healing, relaxing, and forgiving as it swirled in elfin eddies from his heaving heart to his fragile fingertips. Sleep took him once again, easily, freely, and he didn't have a single dream for the rest of the night.

Cliff awoke the next morning in a rather awkward position. Okay...extremely awkward. _Umm, what do I do now exactly?_

**MHAHA! TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: Extra points if you remembered when Cliff claimed he was nobility after sleeping in Peterny (which coincidently was right after a night scene where he was staring at Fayt...). Now that was funny. Fayt just glares at him and goes '...' when he is really dying/laughing inside. I have big plans for this story. We're gonna have force powers AND symbology, visit fantastical worlds, meet the new enemy, meet Cliff's family, pick up a few guests, then a reunion...)


	3. Chapter 3: To Mars, The New Earth

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke

Rating: PG

Summary: Cliff has to deal with a clingy Fayt in the only way he can. Then the foursome finally reaches the breathtaking, terraformed planet of Mars, the new centre of the universe after Earth's passing. Fayt has to deal with his newfound fame when he meets **Ophelia**, the new leader of the Federation remnants, then it's off to the Senate building to try to set up some sort of pangalactic force to rebuild the galaxy. Let's just say, easier said than done...

**Note**: I'm using the in-game dictionary as a reference so all the places mentioned are actually in there. Ally and Ophelia are mentioned in the Cliff solo ending. Trying to make this a realistic post-game scenario. SORRY this chapter is so long! I couldn't stop with the action and such. Shoutouts return next chapter! You know i love you guys anyhow!

**Chapter 3:**

Cliff had spent the previous few days seriously mulling over whether to tell Fayt about the forgotten suicide attempt at the Aquarian cliffs. He had come to the conclusion that — at least for the time being — he would not recount the events of that dreadful night to his friend. The blond still felt the same way as he did back when he first met Fayt: withholding information of this nature was necessary in order to protect the bluenette and lessen his already intense emotional pain. It would remain a secret just like Cliff had kept the knowledge that Fayt was a weapon under wraps when they travelled across Elicoor. _Some things are better left unspoken…_

And now the half-naked Klausian found himself in a terribly awkward position. Banishing his thoughts of _that_ day as he lay on his side in bed, he began to contemplate how to get out of this one. The first thing Cliff had noticed after waking up was that his companion's arm was wrapped snugly around his toned chest, hand resting over one of his nipples. Without turning to look behind him, the blond could feel Fayt pressing into his back, snoring softly onto the sensitive sweep of his neck. What's more, somehow or another, Fayt's legs had become entangled with Cliff's during the night. And to top it off, the blond could feel the unnerving poke of the bluenette's member against his buttcheek. _Ahhh, to be young...and always having a hard-on, whether with reason or not_, Cliff mused, trying to see the light side of the situation.

For a split second the blond wondered whether he was said reason. _Ya...__**no**__. That's ridiculous. He's lonely, scared and just wants to be close to someone. From what he's told me, he hasn't even been hugged by his own parents for a long time...always so busy...and now one is gone and one is missing… _Cliff briefly thought about his own dad which immediately bolstered his belief that all the bluenette wanted was someone to be there for him. Which he was doing by not freaking out and jumping out of the bed.

Still, the Klausian really had to go pee. But how to get up without waking his buddy? And what would Fayt think if he woke up and discovered the position they were in? _It's not like he did this on purpose anyway, riiight...? _

_I KNOW!! _his mind suddenly screamed, inspiration blossoming like a rose in the stillness of dawn.

Cliff clenched his fist and it began to glow sapphire with symbological energy that shimmered upwards along the grooves between his fingers. "Stun," he muttured rather regretfully as the spell shot from his hand towards Fayt and magically shifted him from a light slumber to a dead-to-the-world snooze bordering on unconsciousness. Maybe a little harsh, but it was the easiest way out of the situation. The blond untangled himself and carefully lifted Fayt's limp arm off his chest before sprinting to the bathroom, his hair flipping from side to side in the self-created breeze.

----------------------------------------------------

After an uncomfortable breakfast where very few words were exchanged, Fayt and Cliff contacted the Falcon to notify them that the shields had recovered and they were ready to go. Both ships made the jump to gravitic warp and vanished with a brilliant silver sparkle from the edge of the asteroid field like two empyreal stars.

As the bluenette sat quietly in his seat on the bridge, it dawned on him that he was returning to the Sol System for the first time since this whole adventure began. All he felt was numbness in response to this realization, but that was certain to change if they were to go to the place where Earth once floated majestically through space like a multihued beach ball getting gently kicked through the cosmic dust by the ceaseless sun. Good thing they were going to Mars, which through the years had pretty much become a second Earth.

Within an hour they had arrived. Cliff dropped the Saviour out of hyperspace, with the Falcon following behind like a baby ship clinging to its mommy in an unfamiliar place.

As they cruised towards Mars, the planet grew bigger and bigger and a sparse spattering of Federation ships became visible. _Wow_, Fayt pondered. _Those Executioners really did a number on the fleet_. Soon clusters of ships from other star systems came into view: the Vendeeni were there, ships from planets formerly under Aldian control before the latter was wiped out by the invaders, the Estoch System, the Hyda System, the Arkula system, from planets Roak, Tetragenesis, Lesonia, Elda III, Rondo Lukian, and even another ship from the Klaus system.

"Oh god," Cliff exclaimed as they stared out the front screen. "The place is gonna be swarming with politicians Fayt — look at all the systems that showed up. I wasn't expecting everyone to be so eager to set up another pangalactic government...then again...maybe they're only here to see you." He glanced towards Fayt out of the corner of his eyes, looking — no, hoping — for a reaction.

The bluenette had stopped blinking and one teensy-tiny sweatdrop — easily seen by Cliff's enhanced vision — was trickling down his forehead. The Klausian was just about to make a joke about not turning to stone before the big meeting when Fayt finally spoke up.

"I don't think I can do this whole famous thing…"

"Nah, don't sweat it. **Just shake people's hands, nod your head, and smile**. Always gets me through these sorts of things...plus, if anyone gets too close, I'll just lay the smackdown and we'll find somewhere quiet to chill for a while," Cliff promised as he walloped a fist into his open palm and grinned monstrously.

Fayt exhaled loudly through his nose. "Oh thanks, that's gonna really help I'm sure. I can see the headline now: 'Saviour of the Universe Gets into Fight with Leader of Roak...Negotiations Fall Apart'."

"Hey now, hold on just a sec. It wouldn't be you doin' the fighting," the blond clarified, "it would be your devilishly handsome bodyguard sidekick...and y'know what they say, any publicity is good publicity, I really don't mind."

_Geez, he's never gonna kiss me if we keep bickering like this_. Fayt decided not to respond with a snarky comment and instead focused on watching the descent to Mars.

Cliff wouldn't give up so easy. "So, I forgot to tell ya this, but there's this super important speech ya haveta give in front of all the representatives when we get there…but hey, no pressure..."

Every muscle in the bluenette's body instantly tensed up and he flung his head around to glare at his companion with an 'I'm gonna kill you if you're not joking' sorta look. The blond exploded into laughter and slapped his thigh while pointing with his other hand at Fayt's face as his eyes welled up with tears of joy.

Fayt tried unsuccessfully to keep a straight-face as he summoned an ice symbology and froze Cliff's hand to his thigh in mid-slap. The laughing shifted from one side of the room to the other as the Klausian tried desperately to break his hand free.

"It should melt by the time we land," the bluenette stated matter-of-factly. He felt much better now.

As the two ships orbited the planet and approached the outer reaches of the Martian atmosphere, the sun appeared around the globe's crescent edge in a bombardment of bedazzlement, like a tongue of flame it sent faint rays bouncing and frolicking across the long, wispy clouds gathered on a solitary side of the planet. Sunbeams of splendor subsequently sprung off the clouds and towards a cornucopia of orbiting space stations and heating mirrors that further reflected the light in countless directions, illuminating each of the waiting ships against the backdrop of the Milky Way's spectacular star ocean.

Soon they were descending through the bumpy layers of atmosphere and watching as streaks of sunlight plummeted towards the surface alongside them, igniting and awakening the patches of vermilion landscape into a frenzied firestorm unlike any other planet in the galaxy. Unfortunately, these plots of protected, untouched land were few and far between as Mars had become an ecumenopolis, or city planet, where over the years the urban areas had expanded and eventually fused into one continuous, worldwide city. Clearly visible from space were the unnatural straight lines and rings of the cities, like mysterious crop circles on a farm of deep red soil. The artificial Caspian Sea came into view next, the only visible body of water on the planet (it is elevated so parts of the city are actually under it), glistening all alone against the technological grandeur of mankind.

The Saviour and the Falcon finally lowered to the level of cloud formation, where the real hustle and bustle began. Sprawling skyscrapers appeared before them: smooth, beautiful, futuristic buildings of fantastic design and varying heights. There were big open plazas lined with gigantic circular, dome structures and stadiums, and pedestrian walkways with grandiose arches curling over them bordered by flashy, scintillating holographic screens. With many layers to the city, much was elevated far off the ground, and the wealthiest people literally lived among the sky. All around flying cars were zooming this way and that around stunning statues and manmade waterfalls that came right out of buildings and into parks. The colossal planetary creation cannon poked far above all in one section of the metropolis, symbological energy pulsing restlessly at its feet. Mars was sometimes called 'The Garden City', and the abundance of trees growing wherever they could be planted attested to that.

"This place is unbelievable!" was all that came through the comm. link from the Falcon.

They received the okay to land and two Federation jets arrived to escort them to the space port.

The central square of the planet was now coming into view. In its heart, Fayt could see a massive, colourful memorial to Earth being built — it was a realistic looking replica of the lost planet that towered over the piazza complete with moving clouds and a rotation of its own. Up ahead, the behemothic backup Pangalactic Senate loomed above all else in the intricate, complex shape of a rose (with a thick stem for construction purposes), the universal symbol of a flourishing democracy.

During the final descent to the landing docks beside the Senate building, Fayt spotted a banner hanging on its front with a picture of himself leaning on his sword with a rune glowing in one hand! Only he was a stone statue on the poster, complete with blue hair, and the sign was declaring the intention to build this masterpiece at the entrance to the building.

Fayt Leingod the Great felt like he was going to be sick.

By the time he had caught his bearings, they had landed and he found himself apprehensively walking alongside Cliff down the main ramp and into the sunshine. Han and Luke were running over from the adjacent landing pad.

"This is even better than Coruscant!" Luke exclaimed breathlessly. "Not that I've ever been there or anything...but from what I've heard…"

"Ya, sometimes it's a little too much, but I still get amazed every time I come here," Fayt explained wearily. "The story of Mars is actually really incredible."

Han scanned the area, looking a little confused. "So, where is everyone?"

"Oh...there they are," Cliff replied, catching sight of a mob of holographers and dignitaries rushing towards them from the plaza. The bluenette stood aghast at the sight of a sea of onlookers holding up bobbing posters plastered with his face, like he was some kind of hero. And he refused to believe such a thing.

Suddenly, a red carpet materialized in front of him and before he knew it, Ophelia herself was striding up to shake his hand. Fayt's first impression was that she was quite beautiful, with her long dark blonde hair, youthful complexion, and 'warrior princess' clothing that was remarkably similar to Nel's — with a little more colour and showing more skin up top. The only thing that irked him was the third eye in the middle of her forehead; of course, all Tetrageniots exhibited this distinguishing characteristic, but still, it took a while to get used to.

"It's so good to finally meet you, Fayt Leingod," she announced vivaciously before turning to the holographers to allow them a shot. Blinding lights flashed left and right as they obtained mini 3-D holograms of Fayt and Ophelia for the various galactic news agencies and for personal use. "It's truly terrible what happened to Earth, you have my condolences and my assurance that its legacy will live on, starting with the galaxy-wide memorial next week. More importantly, we owe our lives to your bravery and relentlessness in tracking down the leader of the Executioners and stopping the carnage they brought to our galaxy."

The guards held back the rabid spectators as more politicians came forward to shake his hand and get a hologram taken. Meanwhile, Ophelia had moved on to greet Cliff, a cheshire cat grin donning her face.

"Long time no see, Mr. Cliff Fittir," she chuckled, shaking his hand energetically. "Finally getting yourself out of trouble are you? It's about time you had Quark disbanded and I'm glad you'll now have an influential seat at the table of the new government. I hear you played a big part in defeating Luther."

"Well, ya, you could say that," he replied, casually itching behind one ear. "But you're also doin' a great job leading what's left of the Federation...**which isn't much let me tell you**," he cheerfully retorted.

Ophelia laughed heartily. "Anyway, it's too bad you got caught in that asteroid field, but no worries since we delayed the talks until your arrival. Here, go get a holo with Fayt, you're one hot commodity now," she winked before moving on to greet Han and Luke, not too sure who they were exactly, but knowing they must be important if they were travelling with superstars Fayt and Cliff.

"Wait a sec…" Cliff began, before getting dragged over to where Fayt was standing with the other VIPs. _We never told anyone why we were late…_

----------------------------------------------------

"So whaddaya think?" the blond urged of Fayt as they strolled down a white corridor lined with windows in the Senate building. "...of Ophelia?"

"H-o-t," he replied decisively. Cliff looked satisfied while Fayt just rolled his eyes. "But not my type."

The blond caught up with him and rested a hand on the bluenette's shoulder. "Well what is exactly is your type anyway, huh?"

"I dunno…tall, blond hair…" he began without even noticing it. Cliff's inquisitive eyes woke him from his spell. "...Hey! Wait a minute, it's none of your business, nosey!"

"Heh, at least I know a little bit now about yer likings…" The Klausian stopped short when Fayt flashed one of his 'shutup now or you'll soon be in a coma' looks. Fayt had learned that one from Albel.

They had ditched the hordes of infatuated fans at the entrance to the building and were now walking towards the main chamber with Ophelia and a bunch of other politicians. The group stepped onto a platform that whooshed up a translucent tube to the next level of the building.

"What's with that guy over there," Han suddenly whispered as he pointed to a humanoid that was up ahead talking with Ophelia.

Cliff had noticed that person earlier and thought it rather strange. "I dunno. I've never seen that species before and I pride myself as an expert on such matters…"

The being in question had very peculiar hair — depending on the angle you looked at it, it appeared as a different colour. From where they were currently watching, the humanoid's hair was morphing between brown and purple as they walked along behind it. Cliff had also noticed earlier that it had a larger than average forehead and an extra finger on each hand. Other than that, it would have easily been mistaken for an Earthling.

The bluenette racked his brain searching for a memory of this species when Luke tapped him on the collar bone. "Hey, Fayt, you were gonna tell me a bit about Mars right?"

"Oh ya, of course. Well about 750 years ago, around the time of the development of the first warp engine, Mars was pretty much a barren rock and Earth's Terran government decided to have it terraformed so humans wouldn't be stuck living in domes there anymore. Plus there was a lot of worry at the time that we needed to inhabit another planet in case we destroyed Earth ourselves. Anyways, the atmosphere was thickened with carbon dioxide and so forth, the cities grew and grew until they encompassed the entire planet and polar ice was pumped to the urban areas as a water supply. A self-contained ecosystem has been developed within the planet's buildings in order to grow food and almost everything used is recycled…" _Oh my, this is getting too technical, I'm starting to sound like Maria_.

Fayt's voice wavered off as they turned a corner and entered a large rectangular meeting room with a first-class view of the city. The two dozen or so people all crowded inside, guards included, and the door swished close and **locked** behind them. Cliff sensed something fishy so he stepped in front of Fayt before instinctively flexing his huge biceps and clenching his fists, gauntlets at the ready. His hunch was right.

The shadowy humanoid at Ophelia's side spun around and locked eyes with Fayt, who was unable to look away. They were piercing him like Nel's razor-sharp daggers, digging into him, searching for something…

The mystery man's hair was now jet black. "Fayt Leingod and Cliff Fittir, **you are under arrest**. Please cooperate and don't make this anymore difficult for us."

Fayt and Cliff were speechless. An ambassador from Expel, in the Arkula system, was the first to step forward, outraged. "HOW DARE YOU UTTER SUCH RIDICULOUS NONSENSE! Under what charges? These two men are heroes...what is going on here? Who are you anyways? OPHELIA EXPLAIN THIS IMMEDIATELY!"

The leader of the Federation remnants hid behind her long bangs as she faced the floor, clearly saddened. "I'm sorry...you're too late…I have no choice…"

The man beside her raised his arm. "SEIZE THEM!"

The guards clustered around Ophelia and the stranger and began to march towards the group. "Listen! Everyone contact your leaders!" Fayt commanded, now fully alert. "Tell them to get out of the Sol System immediately and wait for my orders! It's some sort of takeover! Led by that man!" He pointed to the culprit. The dozen politicians in the room barked orders into their communicators, notifying their respective parties up in the main Senate chamber.

Right then one of the guards shot a politician, who slumped to the floor...lifeless. All hell broke loose.

Cliff lunged at Fayt, wrapping him in his arms, and jumped down under the table, milliseconds before a gun blast burnt through the exact spot where they were standing. The diplomats had begun shooting back at the guards, using the metal chairs as shields. Han was right in there with them, blaster on overdrive, and Luke had revealed his hidden lightsaber, which glowed emerald in the billowing gunfire smoke. He blocked every phase shot that came his way, reflecting them back at the aggressors.

"HAN!" Cliff bellowed, shielding Fayt with his body. "Blast the door switch!"

A moment later the control panel was writhing with electricity and had short circuited. The door flew open and Fayt, Cliff, Han, Luke, and the few surviving politicians sped out into the hallway. Through the windows they could see that several herculean starships were already lifting off from the space port — Fayt hoped the leaders had transported straight from the Senate chamber and were now safe. All of a sudden a warning came out over the public announcement system: _Attention, there has been a security breach. Transport scrambler now operational. Full lock down in progress_. _Please remain where you are until the threat has passed._

The terrified group barrelled down the hall towards the elevator tube, firing at the guards on their tail. A door opened in front of them and a handful of guards appeared, blocking their way. Luke leapt out ahead and sliced down every single one of them in a stormy viridian haze splattered with bolts of blood.

"HOLY CRAP LUKE!" Fayt cried. "You never told me about that thing you're using!?"

Luke shrugged, the sweat forming on this forehead. "Never came up I guess."

"No time for chitchat! Let's get a move on!" Cliff roared.

"Don't look now, but we've got company!" Han interjected, unsure of who was approaching.

They had arrived at an intersecting corridor before the elevator and a convoy of diplomats raced down one hall to join them. "We didn't transport out in time," one of them gasped, clutching her knee. "We just came from the Senate chamber — some unfamiliar humanoids started attacking us."

More guards were coming up behind them so everyone stuffed into the elevator to drop to the main floor of the building. The group ran down the last hallway and came out at the top of the spiraling moving walkway that led to the entrance below. Suddenly, a mass of humanoids — that strange species — spread out to cover the entranceway, blocking the exit while firing shots up at Fayt and co. The blond screeched to a stop and motioned everyone down.

"Time to pull out all the stops, Fayt!" Cliff advised as he rushed towards the guards that were now coming down the hall from the elevator. The Klausian growled profanities at his victims before he savagely pummeled them into the walls with his noxious knuckles, fists skillfully swinging this way and that, faster than any Martian could react to. He single-handedly continued disposing of any that tried to approach from the elevator as the main group collapsed to the ground and began firing down at the enemies below with their phase guns.

"We're in trouble!" Han yelled, slipping his head back behind the safety of an info terminal after taking a shot. "Our blasters don't seem to be doing anything to those wackos down there! Anybody got any bright ideas right about now?"

_Shit, time for a different tactic_. Fayt slowly raised one hand in the air — eyes widening and filling with dark, dangerous determination — and called upon a thunder symbology. The room briefly dimmed and a wicked lightning bolt blasted from the ceiling to the entranceway below, its feelers of pandemonium spreading outwards at impact and passing right through the enemies with a deafening crash. The strangers shuddered as they were electrocuted and fell to the floor, but they were soon back up again. Some of the dignitaries followed the bluenette's lead, aiming fire and ice spells to the lower level. _That's weird...I've never seen a humanoid species with such resistance to phasefire and symbology_. Fayt failed to notice that Han and Luke were staring at him with thoroughly shocked expressions — Han with his blaster frozen in front of him and Luke not noticing that his lightsaber was searing into the floor.

Luke eyes fluttered a few times before he came to his senses. "I'm going down there! It's the only way!" he proclaimed, making a move for the spiraling walkway. Without second thought, the bluenette followed behind him, ideas of how to get out of this situation spinning through his head, blocking out Cliff's cries to stay put. _Well, what about something __**stronger**__…if we can't get rid of them, at least we can move them out of the way..._

The duo burst into the mass of humanoids and went to work. Luke began slicing and dicing left and right, jumping into the air, and intermittently throwing his lightsaber out in front of him to chop off some unsuspecting enemy's arm. He was trying to make a path through the centre of the mob to the front doors. The group upstairs recognized this and started to carefully file down the walkway, Han in front and Cliff at the rear, both dodging the invaders' phasefire. Fayt placed his hands together in front of him, as if in silent prayer, and recondite sorcery started to twist and twirl around his fingers as he focused on summoning another incantation. The noise of battle was momentarily lost to him while he closed his sparkling jade eyes, readying for the casting.

"NOOO!" Cliff shouted from above. Fayt didn't know it, but one of the humanoids had snuck up and was about to shoot him at close range. The Klausian pounced off the edge of the spiral walkway and flew fist-first into the culprit, smashing its head into the floor in a pool of liquescent rubies (still not dead though). While he did this, another enemy got a shot away, which grazed Cliff's right shoulder, causing blood to spurt forth. Fayt's eyes finally exploded open, supernova style. "**EARTH GLAIVE!**" His hands parted and he flung his slender arms outward, commanding the earth below. The ground began to rumble, cracking the floor in two as dual slabs rose into the air on either side of him, humanoids tumbling off them and towards the walls. The enemy was stuck behind these protruding mounds of earth and Fayt now had a clear, albeit dirty, path to the front door. Everyone rushed out into the sunlight and straight towards the space port hanger. The representatives waved their thanks and raced to their respective ships. Han and Luke sprinted towards the Millennium Falcon but soon found themselves flat on their backs. They had run into a shield that had been erected around their ship.

"Forget that!" Cliff hollered, about to board the Saviour. "Come with us!"

A mechanic came running over to them. "I don't know what's going on, but I do know they're about to raise the planetary shield to prevent you from escaping! Hurry! And good luck to you!"

Fayt, Cliff, Luke, and Han glanced exhaustingly at one another. Solo summed up their thoughts, the words oozing from his lips: "Oh no, this sure as hell ain't over yet…"

**OMFG! TO BE CONTINUED!**

(Wow, I love this chapter! So much fun writing it, I don't think I've done anything like it. By the way, I forgot to mention before that the game dictionary says Fayt's destruction power can actually alter the physical laws of the universe, hence what happened in chapter 1 could actually happen! I didn't just make it up! I looked up 'terraforming' in wikipedia and its very interesting. They even have theories on how to terraform Mars! already! and pictures!)


	4. Chapter 4: The Great Escape & FaytxFayt

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke

Rating: R (heh)

Summary: Our foursome needs to escape from the Sol System pronto, but of course these new invaders won't let them go without a fight. Luke tries something he hasn't done before to help out while Cliff & Fayt's bickering goes a step further than usual for some reason. Fayt gives into more urges while everyone seems to be opening up...

Shout Outs: Zelavril: That's weird about the Falcon & the Eagle. I didn't notice that before! or the part about the moons. We found Tri-Ace's 'inspiration' :D haha you'll laugh more about that after reading this chapter. i'm glad you liked ch 3! your review was thoughtful and very helpful as always. i get so excited when it shows up in my e-mail. yay another story for me! with photons! and then can i borrow your, ahem, manga present :D Spectral: I hope your summer is going well and i hope you send me some drawings soon!

**Chapter 4:**

The tension on the bridge of the Saviour was so thick you could cut it with a cleaver. Fayt and Cliff sat in their respective seats while Han and Luke stood behind them, hands gripping onto the back supports.

"Okay, here we go! Let's hope they didn't screw with the ship or anything…" the blond began as he tapped on his console, starting the main engine. A gentle hum could be heard, and at once they knew that everything was alright.

"All systems normal," Fayt declared with relief.

Luke was staring out the front screen and pointing down at something. "Hey! Look there! They've set up some big guns to fire at us!"

"CRAP! Stupid idiots, they really don't want us to leave, huh? Well no matter, we'll be gone in no time. Fayt, let's teach 'em a lesson."

The bluenette snickered through his nose as the ship slowly lifted off the ground. "For once I agree with you...I'm firing the phase cannons."

A ring on the outside of the ship lit up and a tangerine beam of energy sped around the Saviour and shot off at different angles, causing miniature explosions on the ground where the enemy had gathered together some mounted guns. All but a few of these were decimated, with the remaining leaving scorching black marks on the tail end of the Saviour. Soon the ship was rising up into the sky and out of range while its giant shadow cast a tenebrous blanket over the fuming mess below.

"Awesome!" Luke shouted, attempting to high-five Fayt. Their hands didn't connect properly on the first try so they did it again and the smack echoed throughout the room.

"Don't get too cocky yet," came Han's gruff warning. "Remember what that guy said about the planetary shield. We still have to deal with that."

Cliff sighed and ran some fingers through his hair above his right ear. "And sensors are reading that it's already up, and that last shot from below brought ours down. Fuck."

"WHAT? After all that we are not gonna let this stop us!" Fayt replied with certainty, trying to think of something.

"Now, that's what I like to hear, kid. I like it when you show us some of your spunk." ..._Oh, that didn't sound good. Maybe I should have just said 'I like your spunky attitude'. Ahhh, he won't notice_.

The bluenette inhaled loudly and Cliff briefly shielded his face, unsure of Fayt's response. "I know! There are shield generators all across Mars for each different section of the main shield. If we can located the one closest to us and blow it up…"

"...We'll make a hole in it and be home free! I like it, Fayt! Only problem is that we don't know where it is and it's well hidden so how will we find it in time?"

"I dunno," the bluenette responded tiredly, rested his chin on his palm. "Unfortunately, our scanners can't pick up that type of symbological energy."

Han started shaking the back of Fayt's chair. "Come on guys! There's gotta be some way! THINK!"

Skywalker sealed his eyes and sent his senses diving into the force's oracular swell. "Let me have a try," he suggested. "I'll use the force." Three sets of eyes darted towards the young Jedi, watching his hand move around in front of him like it was possessed, pointing at different buildings down below at the surface. It stopped. "**THERE! **I can feel it!"

"Where?" Cliff asked snappily. "How are we suppose to know what to shoot at?! There's so many buildings clumped together where you're pointing."

Fayt's mind was spinning slowly in circles, like a Ferris wheel. _The force? Oh ya, he did mention something about that. I wonder if that is similar to symbological energy? _"Luke, can you use this 'force' to destroy it?"

The young man peered at Fayt, a hint of worry lining the curve of his eyes. "Hmm, I guess I could...but I'm not supposed to use that side of it...then again, if it's just this one time I'm sure it's fine." Han raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was referring to, never really understanding this whole force thing.

Luke made up his mind, turning his face away from his outstretched hand like it was a precarious and repulsive beast. Suddenly, a labyrinth of lightning unlike anything Fayt or Cliff had seen before radiated from the tips of Luke's fingers and right through the walls of the ship. It was very unnatural looking — there were many thin, snaking streams of electricity surrounded by an eerie indigo glow. Everybody watched as the lightning found its way down to the Martian surface and concentrated on one building, blowing chunks of it into the air. Like a spider building a web, the electricity surrounded the roof of the structure until finally something inside exploded with an orange flash, sending flaming ginger sparks raining down onto the elevated walkways below.

"That's it! Ya did it!" Cliff bellowed, reading the display in front of him. "There's a hole in the planetary shield up ahead! A few seconds and weee're outta here!"

Just then, Solo noticed the Jedi getting wobbly on his feet. "Luke? LUKE! What's wrong?"

He soon collapsed into Han's ready arms, big blue eyes struggling to shine through weary eyelids. "Ya, ya, I'm alright. I just need to lie down for a bit."

"I'm gonna take him to the lounge to rest. You two got it all handled right?"

Fayt found himself answering in a high pitched tone, rather unsure of the whole situation: "Yaaa! We'll be fine..." Their guests consequently disappeared into the next room.

The ship was now passing through the upper reaches of the Martian atmosphere, just about to enter deep space. "Cliff, you don't think they would be so crazy as to use the creation cannon on us, would they?" Fayt asked quietly, glancing down towards the rapidly shrinking ecumenopolis below.

"Nah, no worries. I'm pretty sure they want us alive after all." This was met with an inquisitive flick of the wrist from Fayt. "How do I know? Well, you could say it's a hunch," the blond continued with a saucy wink.

The bluenette pretended not to hear that and instead watched the few remaining starships disappear from the area with a dazzling flash. "Where should we head to?" he asked next, preparing the ship for warp.

The blond scratched at the marking on his neck, pondering the question for a moment. "Do you find it strange that Ally wasn't at the meetings? There wasn't a representative from Midgard at all. I wonder if she knows somethin' bout this and got away before everyone else…?"

"You sure this isn't just because she sent you a dinner date invitation?" Fayt replied cynically, eyeing his Klausian friend with suspicion.

"No, **NO!**" Cliff proclaimed, lowering his voice. "I'm not some woman-crazed, sex-deprived brute!"

"News to me," was the bluenette's sly retort.

Cliff stuck out a finger in Fayt's direction, a little miffed. "I'll happen to let you know that...y'know what? Just never mind. I was only thinking that 'cause she's got the most influence, apart from Ophelia, since the fall of the Federation."

Fayt pressed his lips tightly together to suppress a laugh. "Sounds good enough to me. Midgard it is. Let's go."

The computer interrupted: _Warning, several meteors are heading straight for the ship from the other side of Mars. They do not seem to be following normal meteor behaviour._

"Well, duhh, if they are coming after us and were hiding on the far side of the planet!" the blond replied half-jokingly and half in irritation, thinking the computer was malfunctioning. Suddenly, the ship shook like it had been hit by something.

"Cliff...I think one of those meteors just fired at us…"

The Klausian's temperature began rising rapidly. "**What?! **How is that possible? THERE AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE ANY METEORS IN THIS AREA! What the hell is going on here?!"

"I don't know...should we fire back? It'll be a few more seconds before we can jump to hyperspace," Fayt answered softly, wondering if he had gone too far with his earlier comment. Another shot rocked the ship and the computer indicated that whomever was firing was aiming at the warp drive.

"YES, ready the antimatter torpedoes. Fuckers are trying to take out the gravitic core."

The bluenette silently punched in the proper codes and a trio of torpedoes left the ship, targeting the cluster of meteors that were fast approaching from behind. They exploded in a resplendent celestial flare, blowing half of the small asteroids into harmless chunks of ice that hurled past one of the space stations orbiting Mars. A Federation ship was detaching from the station, probably to engage the Saviour in combat. All of a sudden, the stars elongated to the length of bamboo shoots and Mars evanesced into the distance as they finally leapt into hyperspace.

"I need a shower," Cliff declared with a yawn, marching off the bridge and leaving Fayt all alone.

----------------------------------------------------

It was quite relaxing sitting in the bridge after that nerve-racking ordeal and just hearing the soothing, sporadic beeping of the consoles and the hum of the warp engine. Fayt sent out an encrypted transmission to all of the star systems that had escaped from Mars, informing them that he was safe and advising them to stay near their own planets until he investigated what was going on. Most responded to say that they had cut off travel to the Sol System and that they would let him know if they found out anything more about the takeover. There were many thank you's for getting them out of there in time and even mentions of Fayt leading some sort of opposition movement.

Cliff moseyed onto the bridge once again a little while later. The bluenette updated him on the transmissions and they tried running through what had happened on Mars for clues. A few minutes into the conversation, Fayt noticed the gunshot wound on the blond's shoulder for the first time.

"Cliff! Your shoulder! Do you want me to heal it?"

"Don't worry about it, kid. It's fine, I stopped by the infirmary and cleaned it. I guess you can do it later if ya want. Han and Luke are in there right now patching up."

"Okay. I still can't believe it though, we just defeated Luther and now this…"

"Ya, guess that's the way of things. It's too bad you can't control yer power though. We coulda really used it back there during our escape and saved a whole lot of trouble. I guess it only activates when you get really emotional…"

"No, **REALLY?!**" Fayt shot back, his voice drowning in a sea of sarcasm. "I'd have never thought that."

Cliff crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the ground, his smile fading. "Ya know what? You can be a real smart aleck sometimes, y'know that?"

Fayt's heart rate sped up exponentially in response to that remark. "I'M THE SMART ALECK HERE? Are you serious?" He had unconsciously clenched his fists and Cliff saw the Earthling open his mouth about to continue, but then close it again, clearly deciding against what he was going to say. Instead the bluenette decided to bring up another thing that was frustrating him. "How about you stop smothering me okay? Back there in the Senate building, I could have taken care of myself, I didn't need you coddling me like some helpless child."

Now Cliff wanted to say something really cruel but instead he just straightened his hands and shook them in front of his face, anger building. "UHHH!! **What are you talking about!?** I'm really sorry for saving your life back there, but don't bother to thank me or anything."

"Cliff, just back off," the bluenette snapped irately. _Wait, what I am saying...don't back off, come closer, take me in your arms, hold me..._ Fayt screamed in confused frustration and stomped right out of the room as the Klausian sat quietly, pretending to hold his ground when really, he felt terrible.

"Fine, just go sulk in yer room like you always do...I betcha that will fix everything won't it?" he yelled after him. He shook his golden hair around before sighing loudly and rubbing his burning temples.

Han soon wandered into the room and sat in Fayt's seat, sticking one leg up on the console in front. "So what did you do now Cliff? That was one pissed off kid I just saw marching past the lounge."

All was library quiet for a moment. "Hey, you ever been with a guy Solo?" the blond eventually asked out of the blue.

Han didn't skip a beat. "Ya, one or two. I don't really limit myself in any way. I've been all over the galaxy, hooked up with some pretty…'interesting' people, let me tell you. Why?"

"Well, see...here's the thing," the Klausian began, biting one side of his bottom lip while the other side guiltily bent outward. "I think Fayt's fallen for me, I've finally figured it out now...recognized what was between us during our journey on Elicoor...and what's even more crazy…I think I've fallen for him too."

Han proceeded to shock Cliff by snickering in response. "You just figured that out? Man, I knew there was something going on the day I set eyes on you two — you just couldn't see it."

Fittir squinted his shimmering sapphire eyes in response. "Umm, wasn't that like yesterday?"

"What can I say, Cliff," he replied, patting his chest. "I'm that good."

A grin returned to the blond's face. "I mean, I tried to tell him earlier that I've been with guys as well as girls...but I couldn't get it out...the past is too painful. And it's complicated, **he's complicated**..."

----------------------------------------------------

Fayt stormed into his second room (since they sleep in the same room, they also each have their own private one with a computer, sofa, and other belongings) in a navy-blue hurricane of rage. He paced back and forth in front of the sofa, all huffy and puffy, muttering bad language under the cusp of his tongue. His shoulder muscles were tight and rigid and his fingernails were jabbing into his palms as he marched an invisible track along the floor, eyes down, occasionally bringing up one hand to itch his chin stubble and shake his head disapprovingly. _That...man...is...impossible_, the bluenette's mind groaned. In truth, Fayt and Cliff hardly ever got in fights, they were too playful and sweet to each other and their personalities meshed like chocolate over an eager tongue. But something had changed lately and that was why this unusual spat really boiled the bluenette's blood.

As his fury fermented, Fayt soon noticed that he was getting a growing, unstoppable hard-on while he paced the room. _Not again! _Interestingly, one of the Earthling's unspoken peculiarities was that whenever he got angry, he also got **horny **— the two went hand in hand. It had always been, as long as he could remember. That being the case, he had tried extremely hard to never get angry at school. Of course, such a thing is much easier said than done. He did find that the strategic positioning of his books when he walked was the key to dealing with it. Nonetheless, right now his dick demanded immediate attention and he pondered whether to give into the powerful urge. _Ahh, what the heck. Maybe it'll help get my frustrations out…at least it will take my mind off it..._

The cerulean-haired horndog settled gently onto the crescent-shaped sofa and speedily unclipped his belt buckle. Sliding down his pants just a little, his member happily popped out of its uncomfortable, confined space. With a grand sigh, Fayt gripped himself with one hand and let his head tumble into the cushion behind him, eyes shut and mouth hanging open. As his breathing became deep and erratic, matching the jerk of his hand over his cock, his lividity faded like a lingering morning fog under the salacious sun. All his worries melted away with the throbbing pleasure that warmed and titillated his body.

After a minute or two of this, he felt like he wasn't getting anywhere. He needed something more, something visual to get his juices flowing. Dilated pupils poked through receding eyelids as he paused his masturbating, looking around the room for some 'inspiration' to turn him on. His eyes landed on the holograph stand on the table in front of the couch. This was the device that projected 3-D holograms, like the ones people had took of Fayt back on Mars. The bluenette instantly knew what he needed.

"Computer, activate holograph emitter and bring up that hologram of Cliff...**topless**."

Who cares if they had just got in a fight. Nothing could deny the innate, out of control sexiness of the Klausian hunk. A miniature Cliff (about 3/4 actual size) magically appeared above the holograph stand, arms resting at his side, a dumb grin spread across his face. Fayt was even harder now, if that was at all possible. He resumed his stroking, focusing on the rapturous bulge at the head of his dick. His eyes started at the top, admiring the blond's chiselled face. A shiver of bliss. They slowly tracked downwards to his muscular, magnificently defined chest and over the divine curves of his perfect abs. A heavenly moan. Next they ran along his bulging biceps, down arms that were molded by the hands of a deity…

He was getting close. Erotic fireworks were building. And then the door slid open…

And Cliff stepped through — all ready for his big apology.

Fayt's stomach dropped to the floor, before falling further into an inescapable abyss. Humiliation. Shock. Mortification. He was embarrassed to death. No, beyond death. The grim reaper of shame itself had risen out of the floor and slashed the bluenette to pieces. He was red, red like the planet Mars sticking out all by its lonesome in the azure sky of the early evening. Fumbling to pull his pants up, Fayt finally worked up the courage to look Cliff in the eye, utter helplessness clouding his gaze. He didn't know what to do so he sat there motionless, trying to ignore the conspicuous smiling half-naked hologram nearby.

The Klausian's mouth dropped off a cliff and he abruptly averted his eyes, now realizing that there **really was** some merit to the idea of knocking first. "Oh, ahhh…sorry, sorry! I see yer busy at the moment, I'll cum back later...no that wasn't the right word...okay, I'm leaving now."

The blond caught sight of the hologram as he spun around. "Is that me?" he couldn't help but asking, his giant ego actually a little pleased that Fayt was using him for inspiration, in a perverted sort of way.

"CLIFF!! GET OUT OF HERE!"

"Okay, okay, it's not a big deal. I'm goin', I'm goin'...don't get all spunky on me...oh wait I guess I just interrupted that…"

Snickering, Cliff dashed out of Fayt's room, leaving the latter to drown in self-pity.

----------------------------------------------------

Fayt was still moping around and trying to think of which symbology would be best for putting him out of his misery when Luke walked into his room, wearing Han's jacket over his white clothes and crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

"Now's not a good time, Luke. I don't really feel like talking to anyone." Fayt tore his eyes from the floor, ready to back up his demand with a serious expression, but when he saw the Jedi he couldn't help but ask a question. "Are you shivering?"

Ignoring the bluenette's desire to be alone, Luke came over and sat on the sofa. "Ya. It's nothing though, probably just a little cold or something. Blowing up that shield generator was more draining than I'd imagined." He ran his hand over the soft, black fabric of the jacket as the pleasant essence of Han wafted into his nose. "Han lent me his jacket."

Fayt forced a smile, trying his best to forget the Klausian's intrusion. "I don't mean to be nosey or anything," the bluenette began slowly, immediately reminded of Cliff as he spoke that phrase, "but how close are you and Han?"

"Well, at first it was a little rough, we really didn't get along so well 'cause we were always at each other's necks and he really only thought of himself. But as time went on, I started to look up to him more — even if his ways were a bit shady — and I realized how important he was to me." Skywalker turned away from his new friend to stare off into space, remembering. "But it wasn't until he came back and helped me finish the Death Star and then saved me again on Hoth that I really felt something I'd never felt before...he was the only one who asked if I had gotten back safely from my patrol on Hoth, risking his life for me when he found out I hadn't…with him, Leia and Chewbacca, it almost felt like I had a real family. Crazy right?"

"No, not at all," was the truthful reply.

"Thanks. But now my feelings have intensified...I can't explain it…"

Fayt patted his hand over his bangs, smoothing them down over his forehead. "While we're on the subject, I have something to tell you…" He was just going to blurt it out, but Luke joined in.

Fayt: "I'm in love with Cliff."

Luke: "I've fallen for Han."

No sooner had the words left their mouths than they both stared at each other, faces painted with strokes of surprise. Fayt found it so easy to talk to Luke, and vice versa, but neither had anticipated sharing this information with each other so soon. The computer suddenly announced that they were 5 minutes away from Midgard, which forced them to wrap up the conversation.

"So, do you have any ideas on how we can...**seduce** them then?" the bluenette inquired with a half-grin, employing the same word Cliff had used in their conversation after leaving Klaus.

"Funny you mention that…"

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: I meant to explain who the new invading species on Mars was but i ran out of space. Next chapter for sure! Sorry there isn't more HanLuke. I'll try to put more, but i still think I'm not good at writing them, i don't get the same inspiration as i do with F x C. I need to watch the movies again :D)


	5. Chapter 5: Midgard & Irish Cream

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke

Rating: PG

Summary: Let the seduction begin! Fayt and Luke begin their scheming, while Cliff just can't let Fayt's little incident from last chapter go. The crew arrives at the very unique Midgard and meets with Ally, the planet's leader. She spills the beans, a lot of them. Who is this new enemy anyways? We end with Cliff and Fayt, all alone in a beautiful place...

Shoutouts: Zelavril - What's my secret? Daydream...alot :D lol i can't think of anything else. haha i wrote about spunk in your LJ and the story behind that. thats so funny you've been using that word alot ;D Isn't Fayt great when he's moody? it was a great tiff, very realistic if you ask me. i love earlier on where Fayt goes 'news to me'. LMAO. i still feel so bad for Fayt that Cliff walked in on him...and proceeded to make fun of him :D i try to aim for 6 pages each chapter in microsoft publisher, but i seem to always be going over! anything longer than that IMHO is too long. Spectral: Spectral rocks, lalalala, she likes my story, lalala.

**Chapter 5:**

Fayt and Luke spoke in hushed whispers to each other, planning their strategy for operation 'Lure our Lovers' or **LOL** for short. If Cliff or Han ever overheard them discussing the matter, they would just think Fayt and Luke were going a bit psycho by continuously slipping nerdy computer lingo into the conversation. It was rather brilliant, they had to admit.

A few moments later, Han sauntered down the hallway and poked his head in the doorway. "Hey, kid!"

"Ya?"

"Huh?"

They both responded at the same time, each used to being called 'kid' by their older friend. Han snort laughed through his nose and motioned towards Luke. "C'mon, I made a hot chocolate to warm you up. And we're almost at that planet...ummm...Midgard is it? Ya, that's it." He paused and grinned at both of them, taking in the sight of the two younger men eagerly hanging on his every word. His eyes flickered between their two captivating gazes, alternating from Fayt's enigmatic green to Luke's tropical ocean blue. Han suddenly felt like he was transported to a tranquil beach on his home planet of Corellia, relaxing in the shade of a palm tree while watching the waves crash onto the shore. Skywalker's intensifying stare swept up to Han and washed over his feet, waking him from his trance.

"Sure, Han. I'll be there in a minute."

Solo mumbled something in reply and spun around to proceed to the lounge while shaking his head back and forth trying to figure out what had just happened.

No sooner had Han left then Cliff cautiously stuck his head into the room. "Yo, kid!"

"**WHAT?**" they both instinctively and impatiently cried in response without looking at the speaker, forgetting they had just done the same thing a second ago. "We do have names," Fayt continued, peeved.

The blond, startled (and a little scared?) by the tone of their voices, turned and bolted towards the bridge, shouting behind him: "We're gonna be landing on Midgard before y'know it! I recommend you two get out here…" A short pause, "Please?"

After a brief glare at each other, which could have involved an invisible clash of swords and a polite bow since their eye colours were so contrasting, Fayt and Luke both nodded and hoisted themselves to their feet. _Since when does Cliff say 'please' anyways? _the bluenette pondered, wondering whether Cliff would take his 'self-loving' session in stride or whether the big lug would make fun of him for the rest of his life. Fayt imagined that pretty soon the blond would start a galaxy-wide petition proposing to change his middle name to Master and his last name to Bates (A/N: take a moment to put it together...).

Taking the 'pretend everything is normal' approach, Fayt casually wandered onto the bridge with Luke just in time to see the ship drop out of gravitic warp.

"We better be able to find someone here who can tell us what the hell is going on," Han began, passing the hot chocolate to Luke who pretended he was having a hard time gripping the cup so Solo had to place his hands over Luke's to steady it. Suddenly, the Jedi felt all warm inside, not that the hand touching had anything to do with it, no of course not. He slipped off the jacket and handed it back to Han who quickly put it back on and slapped a hand onto the other's back. "Feeling better now?"

"Ya, and I'm sure someone here can tell us what happened and how to get back to the fleet." Luke felt something brush his leg by his crotch and he couldn't tell whether it was his lightsaber or something else…

Cliff interrupted, as he often does. "Whoa, whaddid I say?" he announced smugly, scanning his console. "Ally's already sent us a message saying she's greatly relieved to see us and that we're cleared for landing in the capital city of Vanatvia."

"I always knew you were smarter than you actually look," Fayt replied sweetly, a cheesy smile plastered across his face.

This was met by a dubious glare. "Ya, thanks," he shot back before teasingly interlocking his fingers in front of his chest. "Do ya need a tissue Fayt? I don't want you makin' a mess everywhere, it already smells spunky enough in here."

Mouths dropped in succession as the bluenette turned tulip red. He stared out the window to watch the entrance to Midgard, sincerely wondering whether Maria, Sophia, Albel, Mirage, and Nel would sign a petition to change his last name to Bates.

Midgard was a naturally dead-looking planet, comparable to Mercury's surface but at a reasonable distance away from the sun. It was also a lot larger than Mercury. As the Saviour travelled past a few resident spaceships and through the almost non-existent atmosphere, the cities below became clearer and easy to make out. The surface was dotted by enormous, clear domes under which Midgardians lived and thrived on an otherwise uninhabitable planet. There were man-made forests and lakes contained within these areas and the major cities had covered 'skyways' connecting each other so flying cars could travel between them. These grassy thoroughfares ran out of the cities and across the surface in thin lines, like green octopus tentacles that bizarrely contrasted against the gray nothingness around them. There were even scattered clouds visible beneath the domes.

They approached the wall of the Vanatvia dome and magically passed right through it since it wasn't made of solid material but force field-like symbological energy. Suddenly, they were engrossed in an Earth-like habitat and dropping quickly towards a bustling metropolis...in the trees.

You see, Midgardians used to be a nomadic folk, criss-crossing the cosmos as their ancestors had done for a millennia. Eventually a group of them decided to live a more stable life and they settled on Midgard and used what wealth and resources they had to build the domes they live in today. Through their travels, they discovered a species of tree that could grow to a height of 600 metres (or a little taller than the CN Tower in Toronto) and decided to plant it on their new home planet. They worked the trees into the city structure and the more affluent people lived among the upper branches on vast platforms while suspended wooden walkways connected the maze of trees together. Monkeys, parrots, and other animals they had found on their journeys even lived among the canopy.

The Saviour descended towards an immense open area that contained the main space port and the parliament buildings. They landed without a hitch and greeted Prime Minister Ally soon after. This meeting was quite the contrast from the one on Mars — no fanfare, no red carpet, no holographers. As Cliff had said, Ally was young and very friendly. She had curly auburn hair that dropped down to her shoulders, high cheekbones, and a wonderful laugh. Although eyesight problems could be easily fixed with genetic alteration, Ally chose to wear glasses — she had started a bit of a trend in this part of the Gaia system. Her clothes were very casual, almost summer-like, similar to what Fayt wore. From what he saw, the bluenette would have never guessed that she was the leader of a whole planet.

"Let's go to my house and talk. There's much I need to tell you," she announced, happening to catch sight of the burn marks on the backside of the Saviour. "Oh! Looks like you had a thrilling escape from Mars there...I'll get some mechanics working on it right away. Soon it will be as good as new."

"Thank you," Fayt replied, jabbing Cliff in the side to stop him from ogling at her. In fact, the Klausian wasn't really interested in her, he only wanted to rile up the bluenette — since he finally knew Fayt had fallen for him.

----------------------------------------------------

After settling into Ally's cozy wooden home, an incredible 500 metres off the ground, she first asked them to explain to her all that had happened on Mars and then to tell her Luke and Han's story. She listened intently the entire time, occasionally nodding or shaking her head at their shocking tale of escape and Fayt's accidental activation of his power. With every nod, her glasses slipped farther down her nose and she had to keep nudging them back into place with one finger.

When the foursome had finally exhausted themselves with storytelling, they slouched back into the sofa and quietly sipped the milk from their coconuts. With a deep sigh and eyes lined with concern, Ally let spill what she knew.

"We were on our way to Mars for the negotiations when we were contacted by one of my friends who works for the Martian government. She had just left the planet and told us to turn back right away as she had learnt something top secret from listening in on one of Ophelia's meetings in the morning. There was news of strange ships, that could not be identified, landing on the surface and quietly taking control of the upper echelons of the planetary state. The leaders had tried to resist, but the invaders seemed to always be one step ahead of them, and guns and symbology were useless against them. Ophelia decided it was best to go along with their requests for the time being and try to figure out their weakness, in order to prevent panic among the people."

"So she was at their mercy when we met with her," Cliff piped in, crossing his arms. "But it still doesn't add up, Ally. Whaddaya mean when ya say they were always one step ahead of everyone?"

"Well that's the thing," she replied, gently flicking her hair behind her right shoulder. "Apparently — you're not gonna believe this — they can read minds."

Full blown shock swirled around the room, manifesting itself in the gaping mouths of her guests.

"I know, crazy right? But I'm dead serious," she continued. "I've found out from my sources that if they are at close range, they can read other people's thoughts _as they are having them_. As if that wasn't enough, they can also read short term memory, meaning like a day or two into your past. If they touch their six fingers to your head, they can even retrieve memories that are up to a week old."

Fayt cupped his hands over his nose, dumbfounded at what he was hearing. "It all makes sense now. When Ophelia knew that we were late because we got stuck in that asteroid field, one of those humanoids must have read our minds and told her that. That's how she knew."

"And every time a plan was hatched to deal with the invaders, they would know right away about it and it would ultimately fail," Luke added.

"So, does this fucked up species have a name?" Han wondered out loud.

"Yes, we have been calling them the 'Thought Killers' since — in effect — that is exactly what they are," Ally sighed, momentarily pausing to read off the quad scanner she was holding before looking back at Fayt and Cliff. "So you see, by the time I found out what was happening, you two were already on Mars. If I had contacted you the Killers would have discovered your thoughts and found out where you were headed. You had to figure out where to go yourselves, and you picked the right place in the end."

Fayt brought up one foot and rested it on his knee. "Ya, well it was Cliff's idea, even if he only wanted to come here because you sent him a dinner invitation."

The blond sat silently, beaming at Ally. She winked at him and continued: "Another thing about these humanoids is that they don't travel by spaceship, they travel by **asteroid**."

"WHAT?!" they all exclaimed at once.

"We're not sure how they do it, but they somehow set up their technology on the rocks and are able to steer and propel them which ever way they desire. The asteroids literally become their spaceships, complete with weapons and all."

Han turned his head to the side, his forehead wrinkled with worry. "Our thoughts...the only things no one could ever touch, something that was all ours…" he mumbled before speaking up. "All I know is that I don't want some freaks reading my mind and judging me on it. You don't wanna even know what goes on up here," he declared, gesturing at his temple. "This is bad. This is really bad."

"Do we know what their plans are?" Luke asked earnestly, eyes wide with interest.

Ally shook her head. "They probably will force the bulk of Mars to become their slaves, punishing anyone who happens to think things that they don't like. They will spread throughout the Sol System, then to others, and we are helpless to stop them — what with their natural resistance to our weapons."

"There's more," she continued. "Let me call in Midgard's top scientist in the symbological field, Dr. Zoda to tell you about it — he's been listening to our conversation this whole time, as he is my top advisor." She brought the communicator on her wrist up to her mouth. "We're ready for you, Henry."

Outside the open front door, the foursome glimpsed a glimmer of aquamarine light that they immediately recognized as a transporter beam. "Let me introduce you to Dr. Zoda…"

To everyone's surprise, in waddled a happy-go-lucky monkey that immediately went for Cliff's coconut and tried to wrestle it out of his hands. "HEY! Whaddaya think yer doing, ya hairy little punk?" Laughter filled every corner of the room.

"Spank!! Get over here!" Ally shouted as the chimp hopped over to her and sat on her lap. "Sorry, that's definitely not Dr. Zoda. Oh here he is now…"

A tall man in a white robe finally walked through the door and shook hands with everyone in the room. "So let's get right to it," he announced briskly. "We think we know where the invaders came from. Our space scans have discovered that one of the 4-D walls between our universe and the one you come from," at this he glanced at Han and Luke, "has collapsed as a result of Fayt's accidental power manifestation."

"No way," Cliff muttured in disbelief.

"Some parts of the universes have combined together, creating anomalies such as that asteroid field that appeared out of nowhere, but all in all, it was a rather successful process and theoretically everything in this new universe should be accessible to us, and vice versa for anyone from there. So far, the Killers are the only species that have crossed into our territory and our probes have tracked their origin to a planet just past where the 4-D wall used to stand."

Dr. Zoda suddenly turned to stare at Fayt. "But more importantly, during the chaos of the Executioner raid, we were able to find and steal the Federation's files on your genetic alteration. I've been studying your power and I honestly believe that, with a week of training, you could come to control it like any other symbological spell. You continue to be the most powerful person in the galaxy and we may need to use your power once more in the uncertain days ahead."

All eyes darted to Fayt as he contemplated the offer. _This is always what I've wanted right? The ability to control my power...to use it for good in the battles ahead. As it stands, it could activate at any time, causing even more problems...look at all the trouble I've already caused...but being stuck here for one whole week?_

Cliff broke the sudden silence, apparently already knowing what Fayt's answer would be. "Well that's all fine and dandy, but what are we supposed to do in the mean time?"

Zoda activated the holograph emitter in the middle of the room and the Killer's planet materialized in front of them. "It would be best for you to travel to this planet and see if you can find out anything about the Killer's history or what their weaknesses might be. There seem to be some objects in orbit around it, but from these pictures the planet looks rather desolate from space — a few ruins can be made out on the surface. Since we can't actually get close to any of these humanoids without giving away our plans, this seems like a good bet."

Fayt finally stirred in his seat. "Yes, yes...I will stay here with you and learn how to control my power. Really, I have to. But before anything, I need some fresh air to clear my mind after hearing all this…"

"Absolutely Fayt, it is a lot to digest for sure," Ally responded sympathetically. "Let's take a break and you can explore Vanatvia for a bit. May I suggest one of our parks? There is a beautiful river through the Seymour Forest, just west of here."

"I think we'll say here and talk with Dr. Zoda for a little while longer," Luke decided with Han's nod of approval. "We'll meet up with you guys later."

----------------------------------------------------

For Fayt, it was never a question of getting Cliff to go somewhere with him, just the two of them. Being the devoted bodyguard that he was, the Klausian never left the bluenette's side — unless specifically requested in a hormonal fury of rage or during a chaotic, surprise attack in a certain rose-shaped Senate building. No, the real trick to luring Cliff would consist of irresistible food, mellowing booze, and aphrodisiacal incense. Oh yes, there would probably be some chatter as well, as the blond had earlier advised Fayt to tell his 'secret love interest' how much that person meant to him in order to successfully complete the seduction process. There might even be a song.

However, the overwhelming news he had just heard forced Fayt's plans into motion sooner than expected. In a day's time, Cliff, Luke and Han would be gone and he would be feverishly training with Dr. Zoda. He should have been worrying about tomorrow but he found himself unable to focus on anything but the alluring man beside him. As they sped out of the city and into the Seymour Forest in a flying car, Fayt glanced at Cliff, who was staring out the window with his chin in one hand and watching the tree trunks whizz by. _I wonder what he's thinking right now_, the bluenette pondered rather ironically considering who their new enemy was. More of Cliff's words of wisdom suddenly echoed through his brain: '_Take 'em someplace they enjoy to truly show tha'cha care'... Well, I know he loves rivers and quiet places in the woods so I can check that off the list. _

Fayt soon spotted an ideal spot along the Seymour River and set the car down in a grassy patch beside its bank. The trees in this part of the forest weren't ridiculously tall like in the city and the ones that lined the stream were of the deciduous and not the evergreen type. Scrambling down the steep embankment to the river itself, the bluenette kept his eye on a big flat rock in the middle of the flowing water and gingerly hopped from rock to rock to get to it. He lay down on his back on top of it and rested his head on his interlocked palms, letting the sun soak into his skin. Turning his head, he watched Cliff follow his path across the water — teetering dangerously with every hop — to sit on a smaller rock beside his. Squinting, Fayt looked up at the sky and the few puffy clouds overhead, amazed that he could just barely make out the shimmering of the dome that covered the whole area and made life here possible.

"So Fayt, are ya gonna be okay hanging out here by yourself for a while?" Cliff asked, supporting himself with his hands behind him.

The bluenette took a moment to respond, not because he didn't know the answer, but because the soothing sound of the water over the pebbles in the riverbed was lulling him to sleep. The spill and splash of the sparkling stream was making a mesmeric melody that coaxed a concrete calm in the easily anxious Earthling. "Ya, I'll be fine Cliff. And what you're going to do is very important to everything that's going on. Luke and Han might even be able to get in contact with their fleet once you enter their universe."

The blond tilted his head downwards, his bangs brushing around in the breeze. "It's just...we've been travelling together for so long, it...will be strange to be apart, even if it is only for a week." Though it was just barely perceptible, his voice wavered as he spoke.

"Well you know what they say…'Absence makes the heart grow fonder', right?"

"Ya…"

"O-K-A-Y. Enough of that," the bluenette suddenly announced, jolting up to a sitting position. "We came here to relax and enjoy ourselves didn't we? Let's make good use of the rest of the day."

Out of the blue, a splendid picnic basket materialized in front of Fayt stuffed to the brim with fresh fruits, sandwiches, chocolate, a checkered blanket, sticks of incense, and a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream. Over in the grassy patch by the car, a picnic table also appeared out of nowhere in a bright turquoise glow.

"**Oh!**" Fayt exclaimed, poorly feigning surprise while shrugging. "Now were did all this come from?"

Somewhere, a few kilometres away, Luke was snickering to himself in a marketplace outside Ally's home.

Cliff glared incredulously at Fayt, trying to piece together what was going on. His stomach suddenly growled.

"Get up here Cliff! There's Bailey's included with this meal," the bluenette teased as he unpacked the basket and placed everything on the spread out blanket. He then waved the bottle at his friend.

"BOOZE?! Atta boy, Fayt — now that's what I liketa see! ...I'm in!" he replied excitedly, leaping up onto Fayt's rock and sitting cross-legged beside him.

After both savouring a glass of the creamy delight, they began to dig into the abundance of food laying in front of them. The Queen of the Night jasmine incense Fayt had lit was wafting in a haze around them, tickling their senses and loosening them up in general. While munching on the sandwiches, they watched a little spotted frog hop up onto the rock and into the now empty picnic basket. Relaxing under the rays of the sun, it seemed happy in that spot, unworriedly eyeing the two men. The valley breeze was light and sweet-smelling and every once in a while a fish would jump out of the water nearby.

Without noticing, the two had slowly inched closer to each other during their meal as they laughed about the time they found Albel 'training' in Crosell's lair. Everything seemed so much funnier now, especially Cliff chomping into his sandwich and having the tomato slice pop out one end and into his lap. Without thinking, as often happens after a few drinks, Fayt stretched a hand over and clumsily snatched the tomato from the blond's crotch — 'accidentally' bumping his privates — and tossed it into the river. "Hey!" Cliff exclaimed lightheartedly, grinning immensely before gently shoving the younger's shoulder. Some passing fish stared at the tomato slice, perplexed.

It was time for dessert. They both went for a strawberry and Cliff immediately popped it into this mouth. Fayt, on the other hand, took the berry by its leafy stem and slowly brought it up to his mouth, with the Klausian watching intently and curiously. The red passion met his lips and he twirled his tongue around the smooth fruit, sucking its outside in a suggestive manner. Cliff sat with jaw dropped as Fayt finally bit the stem off the strawberry and shut his eyes, groaning as he exaggerated the superbness of the saccharine spurts of juice coating his mouth and slipping down his throat.

Cliff burst out laughing. Come on, he couldn't help it.

Fayt reached for the chocolate mousse, frowning as the blond's chortling receded, and 'unintentionally' managed to glop some on his cheek as he brought a spoon of the heavenly ecstasy towards his mouth.

"Hey Cliff," he began, on the verge of losing control and all out attacking the blond with his mouth — he was that horny. "Try this mousse! It is un-bel-ieve-ab-le." Fayt pointed to the chocolate on his cheek, so very close to his puckered lips, and innocently batted his eyes a few times.

Cliff had it all figured out by now, ever since the strawberry incident. As he pondered whether to give in to his desire, his eyes caught sight of the unused picnic table on the river's edge. _What is that for then?_

**CLIFFHANGER! HAHA! TO BE CONTINUED, DUH!**

(A/N: Fayt Master Bates. **LOL**. oh Fayt, i'm starting to think you're even funnier than Cliff.)


	6. Chapter 6: A Rousing River of Lemonaide

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt

Rating: R for dirty fun

Summary: Cliff, what are you gonna do? Give in? Say no after all that seducing, liquor and all? Bah, you guys already know anyways :D Things get hot, that's what they do when the lemon finally comes around. Han, Luke, Ally, and Spank notice something different about Fayt the next day. And Cliff, well he sure makes things complicated.

Shoutouts: Zelavril - wow i'm so confused with LOL now. haha. i'm not sure if i get your whole coconut thing with the plural but if you're talking about what i think you are that's really funny :D I liked what you said about Seymour River! You got it right. And thanks for the kind words about my conversations. i think i've improved a lot with those too and i really enjoy them. haha dont get me started on FF XII. especially the story and the battle system. ohh senate vs. king, never heard that one before. at least you're trying to complete it. SpectralWings - Ya Cliff does let Fayt have it every time with his teasing :D I'm so glad you liked Midgard, that makes me really happy, seriously. Holy crap i laughed SO hard when you said Mirage should be like Chewbacca! YES YES!

**Chapter 6:**

Cliff stared at the picnic table resting on the river's edge, his mind drawing a blank as he tried to imagine why it was there when they hadn't even used it. Inspiration suddenly jolted through him like a shock from a water pump pulsing through his body: _Oh shit… no…. _His eyes swiftly rolled back to look at Fayt. Said kid was nibbling away at his bottom lip like it was a soft piece of white chocolate, his wide and hopeful eyes glued on the Klausian's faltering face. Cliff watched the itty-bitty glob of mousse on the other's cheek melt and ooze downwards under the clear, sunny skies as it called forth to him, seducing his tongue with a sweet song of desire. _No, Cliff you can't_, he pondered, promptly wondering why he was randomly referring to himself in the third person. _**I**__ can't do this again...not after what happened last time…_

Fayt suddenly cocked his head to the side and revealed a brilliant smile — an admiring smile — and soon Cliff found himself blissfully lost in the bluenette's emerald forest, unable to resist the enigma any longer. He had been resisting for so long, too long. Fittir now found himself leaning in towards his buddy, gaze focused on the rich chocolate mousse...

_Ooh yeah, surrender me a kiss  
Let me loose on you inch by inch_ (Ha, I thought it was 'loosen you' :D)  
_The one and only reason is fun fun fun  
Well baby, we've only just begun_

_So don't talk just kiss  
We're beyond words and sound  
Don't talk just kiss  
Let your tongue fool around  
Let's fool around_

_- 'Don't Talk, Just Kiss' by Right Said Fred_

So much for having that talk about how much Cliff meant to him. Fayt shivered ever so slightly as the blond's warm, velvety tongue lapped up the side of his cheek, banishing the bluenette's icy glades of loneliness and unease. Cliff got a taste of rapture and nirvana in one simple stroke — the mix of Fayt's intoxicating skin laced with syrupy chocolate euphoria was almost too much to handle...even for a Klausian. Fayt rotated his head to the side until Cliff's lips met his own in an explosion of passion and pleasure. The supple sensation of the blond's luscious lips sent tingles racing up and down the bluenette's spine, exciting the tiny hairs on his back until they stood on end. The kiss was gentle and tentative — like when you dip your toes in the ocean, testing it, before plunging in — as they explored each other's lips for the first time.

Suddenly, a realization dawned on Fayt. Operation **LOL** was now a success; the feelings weren't one-sided anymore, Cliff was returning the love as Fayt gave it. What a relief….**What a turn on**.

The bluenette funneled his weeks of pent up lust and frustration into a fierce outburst of affection. He abruptly shoved the blond away from him, forcing the latter to lean back onto his hands on the rock. Fayt settled himself in the hunky Klausian's lap and proceeded to unzip Cliff's skin-tight black top, the fabric slowly peeling away and releasing his bulging chest and abs from their confines. As Cliff licked his tongue over his puffy lips, Fayt finally slid off the shirt and tossed it to the side. For the bluenette, the sexy beast in front of him was his proverbial treasure at the end of a rainbow, and he honestly couldn't believe what was happening.

"I've been wanting to do this for a long time…" he finally managed, as the blond grinned cheerfully and gave him a spicy wink in response.

Taking that as a green light, Fayt leaned into Cliff's chest and began kissing and gnawing his smooth, buff pecs before licking all the way up the crease in-between them. The blond threw his head back and closed his eyes, deeply inhaling the lingering jasmine incense hanging in the fresh, alfresco air. Lightly running his hands over the defined muscles of Cliff's upper arms, Fayt shifted his head downwards to suck and savour a washboard six-pack, running moist, swollen lips up and over their curves and down into their valleys. His heart was beating to the quickening drums of passion as every part of his body warmed beneath the throbbing rays of the man he was servicing; the strands of blond sunshine blinding all sense and control.

Cliff soon lifted his lover's chin and guided him towards his mouth again as they both fell back onto the picnic blanket. This second kiss was more satisfying and wonderfully fervent and intense. Their lips locked over and over again while the sensuous smacking sounds intermingled with the revitalizing resonance of the river. This time Cliff really got into it, his impassioned kisses and incessant offering of his Bailey's infused tongue revealing how much he truly wanted Fayt, in every sense of the word. In truth, he hadn't gotten any in a long time, not since before meeting Fayt. They smooched until they couldn't breath any longer and had to take a break for air. Immersed in an intimate moment, the bluenette tenderly nuzzled Cliff's nose with his own as his silky sapphire hair dangled down onto his sweetie's face and the hot breaths between them swept across their blushing cheeks.

As Fayt lay on top of Cliff catching his breath, he felt strong hands slipping up and down the sides of his hips, over his cute butt, and then towards his crotch to try to undo his belt buckle. In order for this to happen they both had to stand up and the blond proceeded to strip the bluenette naked, one piece of clothing at a time. The latter couldn't help but be a little anxious as his underwear fell off without him so much as moving a finger. He knew he had nothing to worry about, but still, the Klausian was a rough-and-tumble kind of guy. Before long, the blue-eyed hottie had also slipped off his pants so they were both buck naked on a rock in the middle of the Seymour River on some planet they had never visited before.

Master Bates was pleasantly surprised when Cliff suddenly clutched him in his arms and pulled their bodies close. The spark of their touching skin evoked a feeling the bluenette had never felt before — a delightful sensation of warmth and safety bathed his being and relaxed his tense muscles. He snuggled his face into the blond's neck and closed his eyes while the other delicately caressed his hands up and down the arch in Fayt's lower back, just above his posterior. Before he knew it, Cliff had slipped downwards and grabbed the young man's cock and placed it on his tongue, causing Fayt to gasp loudly as his eyelids flew open. A symphony of moans and groans left the bluenette's mouth as the Klausian licked his tongue over the end of his lover's member, titillating and stimulating the most sensitive spots while intermittently looking upwards for a reaction.

Something like 'oh my god' came out of Fayt's mouth. _This is __**way**__ better than a handjob, hands down (excuse the pun), and we haven't even got to the picnic table yet_, he mused. "Cliff! That feels amazing but I can't wait any longer! Let's go over there now…" the Earthling suggested impatiently.

At that very moment, Cliff had taken all of Fayt into his mouth and he paused as the bluenette spoke, cheeks puffed out and eyes darting up then over to the table. Fayt pulled his dick out of the other's mouth and jumped off the rock and onto another, heading for the river's edge. Cliff's laughter boomed through the woods as he raced after his companion, obviously losing balance and slipping into the water on the way. Much splashing and yelling pursued.

Once they were on solid ground, Fayt immediately pounced onto the picnic table and lay on his back, pulling his legs towards his stomach in a provocative position. Cliff shook his head in disbelief and smacked a palm to his forehead.

"Hmmm...now someone's a little eager aren't they?" he bellowed. "Fayt, are you buckin' for a fuckin'?"

The bluenette began to chuckle. "Oh yeah! So what do you say, huh?"

Cliff grabbed the base of his dick and wagged it in a circle. "I say beg for it, punk. Knowing how stubborn you are I'll probably give in."

Fayt restlessly tilted his head back and accidentally bumped it on the table. "OWW...CLIFF! Stop teasing me and get over here...unless you want me to freeze your hand to your cock. Didn't look like you enjoyed that before when I stuck it to your thigh." He stretched out one hand threateningly and a rune symbol began to materialize in front of it.

"OKAY, OKAY! Geez, ya can't take a joke can ya. But that's okay. I'll make an exception since you **are** the best thing that **ever** happened to me."

Fayt immediately retracted his hand and his eyes went all soft and mushy. "Aww, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Cliff tilted his head down. "Ya, well it's the goddamn truth," he declared rather resolutely. "Plus yer also hot — what with that lean physique and all — which craftily hides yer real strength...anyways…"

The blond strode over to Fayt and carefully inserted one finger and then two into him, twisting them around in preparation for some major lovin'. The bluenette simply lay there grinning and making weird throaty noises with every jab in and out. Cliff finished his fingering and paused for a moment, waiting for Fayt to give the final order.

"Take it slow okay? Please?"

"No problem-o," the Klausian replied with élan, casually running a finger over one of his nipples. "Don't cha know? I'm what they call a _smooth lover_." He did a little hand-dive while speaking those last words and Fayt glared at him dubiously. "Ya, that's right. Remember the rough stuff's mostly just an act," he continued.

"You only say that 'cause you've finally met your match," the bluenette wisecracked, enjoying the instant look of disbelief from his friend. "What? Can't you take a joke Cliff?" he teased, pretty sure he was only saying that to make the blond feel better about himself. "Come on now, I want you…"

* * *

Uh oh. Next 3 paragraphs are too hot for fanfiction. If you want the NC-17 goodness type the following into your address bar: 4-quintessence(dot)livejournal(dot)com(slash)76154(dot)html and scroll down to the red squigglies and read from there.

* * *

Fayt collapsed onto the table beside his heartthrob and affectionately wrapped his hand into Cliff's as they both heaved and sighed in unison.

"I'm sorry I got all spunky on you," Fayt deadpanned. But really he wasn't.

--

(A/N: Phewf! Okay I need just a second to cool down before writing the next section. Was that as good for you as it was for me? ;D HAHA.)

Cliff was deep in the recesses of a dream as he twitched ever so slightly in Ally's guest bed. He was having trouble making out what he was seeing — it was as if thick, distorting heat waves were blocking his vision and blurring his senses. But then he recognized it: this was a dream he had had before, a reoccurring one from his past that refused to go away.

He was on Klaus, running across a snowy field in the dead of winter, searching and yelling for someone as tears crystallized along his lower eyelashes. Deep in his heart, he knew what he would find. Still, there was that glimmer of elusive hope that shone lustrously in the icicles that hung from the trees spotting the frigid landscape. But at the same time, the sharp points of these frozen daggers carried within them a sinister side that belied their pristine beauty.

Soon he was trudging through knee-deep snow across a small icebound lake in an open area completely immersed in white, from ground to overcast sky. A high-pitched scream suddenly echoed from the other side. He tried to get there faster but found himself restrained by those vexing abnormal laws of the dreamworld. When he finally arrived he found crimson stains scarring the silvery snow and oozing outwards like lava from a volcano. Death was reaching its grip where it didn't belong, bringing pain to the pure and unadulterated crystal powder. Cliff tried to reach out but the ice underneath him cracked and soon he was falling into the inescapable grip of the bottomless lake…

He jolted awake with a weak cry and rose to a sitting position in bed. He was breathing like he had run a marathon and the sheets were damp with perspiration. Glancing to his right, Fayt was sleeping soundly beside him like a babe, his body slightly curled up, knees touching Cliff's hip. The latter's abrupt rising had pushed Fayt's arm off of him and it now lay awkwardly at his side. Rubbing his face into his hands, the blond peeked through his fingers to sadly stare at Fayt for a moment before slipping out of bed and heading for the washroom with a crescent moon of tears gathering in the base of his dull blue eyes. For the next half hour he spent in there, never once did he actually go to the bathroom.

--

Fayt came out of Han and Luke's room literally prancing like a ballerina. He couldn't have been in higher spirits, even if his friends were leaving today. Only Cliff and Luke knew why. The bluenette had just finished giving Luke all the juicy details of the previous afternoon during their top secret meeting on operation **LOL**. After finishing his story, the two got to work on plans for how Luke could seduce Han on the way to the Killer's home planet. Han and Ally had been out early in the morning buying odds and ends for the trip ahead. They had gone down to the surface and checked out one of the blitzball stadiums on the way to the Vanatvia mall.

By now, Han and Ally were seated around the kitchen table, beginning to munch away at their breakfast. Luke joined them while Fayt skipped over to Spank — who was sitting on the sofa watching a holo show — and gave him a happy high-five. Sensing the joyful energy emanating from Fayt, Spank began to make monkey noises and dance around in circles on the spot. A music video came on in that instant and Fayt began dancing with the chimp as the others stared at him in sheer disbelief. Han sat there with a piece of bread hanging out of his mouth.

"Umm, are you coming to eat Fayt?" Ally inquired, wondering whether the kid had finally lost it from all the stress.

"Of course I am! On a beautiful, sunny day like this who could resist such a wonderful breakfast from such a fantastic host?" he practically sang, looking like he was about to cartwheel over to the table. He finally sat in his seat and began to eat, all the while bouncing his legs up and down uncontrollably.

"So where has Cliff got to?" Han asked a few moments later.

Fayt flashed him a splendiferous grin. "He's just sleeping in, I'm sure he'll be out here any minute. I guess he's tired from all the...ummm…" He darted his eyes back and forth to everyone watching him, realizing in the nick of time where his sentence was going. "…'**exercise**' we did yesterday in the Seymour Forest."

Luke snickered so much he almost spat out his orange juice.

Ally looked pleased. "Oh so you guys went hiking then?"

Fayt felt Luke kick him under the table. _Uh oh, time to improvise_. "Yes...hiking...that's exactly what we did. It's very nice there...thanks for suggesting it." After Ally smiled in response, he let out a deep sigh and continued eating.

"**I didn't know you like hiking**," Luke suddenly blurted out.

This time the bluenette kicked the Jedi's leg and glared at him with squinted emerald eyes. "Shuutuppp…" he mumbled out of the corner of his mouth, all the while smiling innocently at Han and Ally.

Luckily, Cliff strolled into the room at that moment and gestured towards Fayt. Dark bags sat under his eyes. "Good mornin' everyone. I just need to borrow our hero for a second."

"Sure thing," Ally replied. "Just don't take too long or else your eggs will get cold…or Spank might steal them."

The blond forced a smile and waved her off before walking with Fayt back into their room.

"Yo, kid. I think we need to have a serious talk before this mission," the Klausian began, sitting on the bed.

"Of course, Cliff. It's about us isn't it? So are we officially going out now? I can't wait to tell everyone."

In the silence that followed, Cliff felt just terrible as he looked up at Fayt and saw the young man's unusually gleeful expression and sparkling, eager gaze. He finally spoke: "I can't do it."

"Do what?" the bluenette replied, his stomach dropping.

"Go out with you," he explained, averting this eyes. "I didn't mean for last night to happen...it's just…I couldn't help myself, y'know? Yer just so goddamn cute."

"Please don't call me cute, Cliff."

"Ya, okay, hot then. But what's done is done and I don't regret what happened...but that doesn't change the fact that I can't go out with you. Don't get me wrong now, I love ya a lot, and you know that. But…" _there's things about my past...about me...about you..._

"**BUT WHAT?**" Fayt shouted, everything on his face seemingly drooping in disappointment. That unwanted icy glade of loneliness and unease was slowly returning once again with every word the blond spoke.

Cliff heaved a sigh and rubbed one hand along his thigh. "But you're too young to be goin' out with me. What would people think of that? I'm better just being yer bodyguard, not ch'yer boyfriend."

The Earthling tried hard to keep his temper under control. "Cliff, that's a lie and you know it. I will go out with whomever I want and I don't care what others think. I just saved everyone from Luther so I don't think that will be an issue. I know tons of people who have an age difference at least as big as ours. What about Nel's parents?"

"Well ya…"

"What is it then?"

The blond stood up, readying to leave the room since he couldn't take this anymore — eyes watering and voice cracking. "I...I can't tell you...I'm sorry Fayt…"

The bluenette grabbed his friend's shoulder as he passed. "Cliff! It's okay...I know it must be something very personal. Please though, just promise me you'll think about it while you're gone? Think about us. I know it will work, we make the perfect team. We can get through anything, remember?"

Cliff brought up a hand and patted Fayt's. "Okay, kid, I will. And you promise me that cha won't get too down while we're gone. Y'know this training is important, lots of people are depending on you."

"Aren't they always?" he retorted lightheartedly, squeezing Cliff's hand before dolefully letting it slip from his grasp.

_If you're not the one then why does my soul feel glad today?  
If you're not the one then why does my hand fit yours this way?  
If you are not mine then why does your heart return my call?  
If you are not mine would I have the strength to stand at all?_

_I never know what the future brings  
But I know you're here with me now  
We'll make it through  
And I hope you are the one I share my life with_

**_I don't wanna run away but I can't take it, I don't understand  
If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?  
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?_**

_'Cause I miss you, body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away  
And I breathe you into my heart and pray for the strength to stand today  
'Cause I love you, whether it's wrong or right  
And though I can't be with you tonight  
You know my heart is by your side_

_- Song by Daniel Bedingfield 'If You're Not The One'_

**:O :O :O !! TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: I'm sorry it ended so sadly! After that long, hot lemon! The way i see it, its like what can happen to your mood in a single day. One second you're on the top of the world and the next you're down in the dumps. See, this chapter is a metaphor for life...hahaha don't listen to me i totally just made that up to try to justify the ending :D)


	7. Chapter 7: An Enemy Unlike Any Other

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: HanxLuke, CliffxFayt

Rating: R for dirty fun

Summary: Cliff, Han, and Luke leave Fayt on Midgard in a bit of shock after Cliff says he can't go out with him...even after they made love! What's going on with Cliff? Luke wants to know. Afterwards he puts his plans in motion for operation **LOL**. Will Han fall for it? And what the trio finds when they reach the Killers' homeplanet is rather disturbing...

Shoutouts: Zelavril - Aww your poor wrist! Hopefully it will get all better while you're in Egypt so you can come back and update your stories and write me lots of reviews! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter thoroughly. Haha if you can't stand the heat in Spain, i think you'll be in for a surprise once you get to Cairo :D Spectralwings - YAY! You're still finding time for me :D LOL i know so many mysteries in this story...i hope you can keep track of them all. ya that last chapter was quite naughty wasn't it :O god i loved it. so is the drawing gonna be just Fayt or with Cliff as well? There doesn't have to be a background, but if you can think of something you would like drawing that would be cool (hint hint from one of my stories ;D).

**Chapter 7:**

After a rather uneventful farewell, Cliff, Han, and Luke left Fayt in Midgard for his training with Dr. Zoda and blasted off into hyperspace to investigate the Thought Killers' strange homeplanet. Luke was left wondering why the air had soured between Fayt and Cliff after that private discussion at breakfast time and why later on Fayt spoke in an overly cheerful and hearty tone during their goodbyes at the space port. Getting nowhere on that train of thought, Luke blinked a few times and settled back into reality. He was slouching in the bluenette's chair on the bridge, mindlessly gazing out the front screen as Cliff sat silently beside him, immersed in his console.

It was a little awkward sitting all alone with the Klausian as Luke hadn't spent much time with him or had a chance to share a good conversation because of all the craziness going on. As he glanced at Cliff's buff figure, he could easily understand why Fayt was so attracted to him. It wasn't just the looks either — what he had seen of the blond's personality had really surprised and impressed him. As long as you were on his side, he was an all-round awesome guy, a lot nicer than what you would get from his gruff appearance. And what Fayt had told the Jedi about how they had come to travel together was remarkable really, and Luke hoped that Han would protect him and stay with him — as Cliff had for Fayt — for as long as possible. If Han didn't who else would? All his family was lost now, even his aunt and uncle.

Feeling his temples burning, Cliff lifted his eyes from the computer screen and noticed Luke staring at him with a glazed look. "What's up, Luke? Everything okay?"

The young Tatooiner tried to read the blond's face. "I don't know, you tell me."

Cliff scratched the markings on the back of his neck, pondering his response. "Well, sensors aren't pickin' up anything so it looks like clear sailing till we get there."

"No, I mean is everything okay with **you**," Skywalker pointedly clarified, his sandy blond hair flopping over his ears with the shake of his head.

"Uhh, ya...I'm great, couldn't be better." Somehow his reply didn't sound as sincere as he would have liked. Recognizing this, he decided it was time to change the subject. "So, I hear you're quite the pilot huh? Does Han ever letcha fly the Falcon?"

"No, it's like his baby to him so if I ever tried to fly it he would probably dump me with his next load of smuggled goods on some backwater planet like Tatooine."

Cliff snickered and nodded his head, secretly sympathizing with Han's point of view. The two continued discussing piloting for a while, recalling stories of flying on Hoth and Klaus in the process. Eventually, Luke thought he was ready to pay Han a visit in the lounge.

On his way to the door, Luke could see that Cliff was staring off into space — literally of course. "Don't worry about him," he called over his shoulder. "He'll be fine."

_It's not him I'm worried about_, Cliff thought. _I'm the one who's gonna go crazy soon_.

----------------------------------------------------

Han was putting the last spoon of his stew into his mouth when Luke sauntered into the room. _Even when he's eating he's sexy_, Skywalker mused, trying his best to look casual. The colour of Solo's soup matched his ash brown hair that looked particularly suave this afternoon. His raised eyebrows creased his forehead even more than usual, the attractive lines curving like sand under an eternally ebbing wave.

"Hey Han, you got a minute?"

He plopped the spoon down with a clank and wiped a handkerchief across his mouth. "Sure kiddo. What do you want to show the great Han Solo?" he said, a smirk intensifying the grooves radiating out from his nose towards the sides of his mouth.

Luke faux coughed in response, rolling his eyes. "Well, Cliff said we could go check out the ship's engine room...I figured you'd be interested in seeing it, considering their technology is ahead of ours."

A tiny sparkle glinted in the corner of Han's irises. "What, really? What are we waiting for then? Let's go!"

"I hope you're not thinking of stealing anything…" Luke muttered as he led the way to the 'engine room'. They rounded a corner of the ship and two enormous doors slid open in front of them, revealing a cavernous room with blurry white squares reflecting off the ceiling…

"Luke, I think we took a wrong turn."

The doors shut behind them and locked tight. The faint smell of chlorine wafted to their noses from the gigantic indoor pool that lay in front of them, and the room was dark apart from underwater lights that gave the air a shimmering aquamarine glow.

"Hmm, that's weird. I guess we'll have to chill out here for a while," Skywalker stated coolly. "Besides, how many ships do you know that have a whole pool in them!"

Han glared at Luke suspiciously. "Well I've heard that some of the larger Imperial cruisers have them. Y'know, so the crew can exercise and all." He had the sudden urge to just relax and take a swim, even if his heart was set on seeing the engine room. Luke seemed happy so he didn't want to spoil the fun. _Wait a second...why is he turning all red?_

"Han, I really like you," he declared, shuffling a foot around on the tile floor. "Is it okay if I kiss you?"

Solo's jaw unhinged for a moment and his chocolate brown eyes seemed to melt away as he stood there flabbergasted at what his friend had just said. "Umm, no…?" he finally managed, more shocked than anything. Truth was, he had thought about it, especially after the whole saving Luke on Hoth incident, but Leia had beaten him to it so he decided his intuitive inklings of Luke's fondness for him were misplaced. Still, he had invited Luke to come with him before the Death Star battle. _And friends can bicker like a married couple right? It's not like we're in love or something...is it?_

Skywalker swiftly continued. "Well the reason I ask is that if I kiss you, some of my Jedi powers will transfer over to you so you can use them. Wouldn't you like that?"

"What?" Han snapped under his breath, more confused than ever now. _Well I guess that isn't such a bad deal then…what the hell? _"Okay…fine, go for it, I won't stop you."

Luke stepped one leg forward and tiptoed off the other so that he was centimetres from Han's soft and sleek lips. The latter was standing as stiff as a board; taut like a stormtrooper in a constricting uniform, unsure of what lay around the corner. Luke closed his eyes and gave his friend a quick and gentle peck on the mouth. Solo immediately frowned and looked as if he was evaluating the sensation, deciding whether or not he wanted another.

It was good. It was real good. He couldn't just have one, that would be like only eating **one** Pringles potato chip. Sheer blasphemy.

Han placed two fingers under the cute crease on Luke's chin and tilted his head upwards again, brushing the young man's smooth bangs away from his eyebrows with his other hand. Gorgeous, longing eyes met his gaze, eyes so big and innocent, so wonderfully breathtaking, so overwhelmingly cerulean. The inundation of inspiration twinkling in those irises was irresistible and infatuating; as if another world lay within them, a world of peace and serenity, of calm lakes and still skies, of no worries at all. None.

There was no turning back now. Han grabbed Luke's waist and pulled him closer, leaning in for another taste of those luscious lips. _Oh god_. _Incredible_. Warm like a cinnamon bun fresh from the oven, soft like the velvety coating of a rose petal, slightly salty like a sweeping breeze in sandstone canyons of Tatooine. Luke's hands were hungrily slipping up and down the sides of Han's stomach while the latter swept his hands through the natural waves on the back of Skywalker's hair and twirled them around his fingers. Luke's lips were unlike any other Han had kissed in his lifetime — he just couldn't get enough.

Eventually the two parted and Solo felt the need to satisfy his curiosity over the alleged transfer of Jedi powers. Spotting a floating lounge bed across the room, he raised one hand and focused on trying to make it move towards him with his mind. To his complete surprise, the bed wiggled around and slid towards the pool's edge...then it lifted off the floor and began to float towards him! Unbeknownst to him, Luke was covertly flicking his wrist around out of Han's sight, trying not to laugh.

"LUKE! It worked!" he cried, blinking a few times in disbelief. "I can't believe I'm doing this. You know...sometimes I even amaze myself."

"Bet that's not hard to do," Luke retorted instantly, his snickering gradually growing louder.

With the floating bed only metres away and closing, Han quickly glanced over at Skywalker's lightsaber and wondered whether he would be able to try his hand at it now that he had force powers and all..._HEY! Wait a second! What's he doing with his hand?_

Han dropped his arm and stopped his concentration. The bed continued to float closer. "You sneaky son-of-a-bitch! You were tricking me all along! Well that's it kid, you're goin' down."

Solo suddenly grabbed Luke by the arms and shoved him into the pool with a giant splash. The lounge bed fell out of the air and landed on the water as Luke surfaced, wiped his face off and slicked his hair back, all the while laughing uncontrollably.

"The mighty Han Solo isn't so bright when his mind is clouded by lustful thoughts it seems," the young man quipped, staring at his target with a desirous gaze.

"LUSTFUL THOUGHTS?! What are you talking about? You're the one who lured me here and then conned me into letting you kiss me!" he shouted back, contradicting what he was saying by nonchalantly slipping off pieces of his clothes until he was completely naked.

Seeing Han in his bare glory ignited a lascivious fire within Luke until he felt like he was standing in a Jacuzzi and not a swimming pool. The Corellian dove into the water and swam over to him, kissing him once again as they gently floated together towards the shallow end. Once there, Han hauled himself out of the water and sat on the lip of the pool, resting with his hands behind him for support. The droplets slipped and sparkled down his body in the reflection of the underwater lights as he swished his legs around in the water, his aroused member standing at attention — and waiting for attention.

Luke waded over and tentatively took his companion's dick in his mouth, letting its warmth tingle and excite his tongue. He slowly took more of it, pressing his lips onto the shaft and letting them brush up and down the thick veins and over the soft skin. After a few bobbing motions, the young man looked up at Han with wide sapphire eyes that yearned for reassurance. As if the moans weren't enough.

"You're doing great kid," Solo said breathlessly. "But don't get too cocky."

Luke almost choked because he couldn't help but laugh at Han's perfect choice of words. After recovering, he lightly ran one hand up the middle of Solo's stomach and between his pecs, enjoying the feel of his fingers caressing through sexy chest hairs still moist from a skinny dip. As Luke slurped and smacked his way up and down Han's dick, the latter stroked a hand through the young one's hair, playfully and affectionately messing it up while occasionally guiding him down deeper over his cock. Soon pulling his mouth away with a 'pop', Luke stuck out his tongue like he was going to lick a broad popsicle and ran it from the base of his beloved's balls up to the tip of his dick before running it in a circle around the top in a whirlpool of pure pleasure.

To their great disappointment, Cliff's voice suddenly boomed through the ship's speakers: "LUKE! HAN! WHERE ARE YOU? Get up to the bridge ASAP 'cause we're gonna arrive at the Killers' planet in less than 5! Otherwise, I'm coming to look for you!"

"Shit!" they both declared at once — though Luke's curse was rather muffled as his mouth was full.

They finished up their business and quickly arrived at climax, leaving a sticky present in the pool for the next unlucky user.

"I'm gonna go use the sonic dryer, I'll meet you on the bridge..." Luke announced hastily, shaking some of the water out of his hair as Han snatched up his clothes on the pool deck. They both paused for a moment. "...I love you," Luke continued timidly, so quietly it was almost a whisper.

Han came over and rested a hand on the Jedi's shoulder, looking him straight in the eye. "**I know**," he declared with a roguish grin.

----------------------------------------------------

The corridor was dark and damaged. Sparks flew from smashed consoles every few metres and tubes were hanging through holes in the ceiling, spewing unknown gases down on them. The lighting was spotty and unreliable so Luke's lightsaber became their makeshift lantern in the stygian hallways of the ruins left behind on the Killer's home planet.

As he led the way along, Klausian-enhanced eyes scanning the area up ahead, Cliff was reminded of the palpable unease he felt when they were on the planet Styx looking for the Time Gate.

"I've got a b-a-d feeling about this," Han uttered quietly, echoing Cliff's exact thoughts. "Tell me again why we were sent here alone without any backup?"

"That's a good question," the blond replied thoughtfully, stepping over a hunk of what used to be the wall.

A huge barrel up ahead blocking their path suddenly floated up into the air, courtesy of the Jedi arts, and they ducked under it before it came smashing back down. "Don't tell me you're worried Han. I thought you liked it when the odds are against us," was Luke's cheeky reply, which was met with an indignant smirk. "It's supposed to be a stealth mission isn't it? Find what we need about our enemy and get out?"

There hadn't been much to see on the descent to the Killers' planet. There was an abandoned space station orbiting the world and sensors picked up lifeforms on one of the moons, but there was no response to the Saviour's hails. As Dr. Zoda had said, the planet appeared to be dead. It looked even more barren than the natural landscape of Midgard. The lone sign that it had once flourished with life was the collection of ruins scattered across the surface — by the look of it, whatever disastrous event had done this had occurred quite recently, what with the smoke still billowing out of some of the domes and their toppled spires.

They had landed near one of these ruined grey buildings since scanners picked up the life signature of a humanoid inside, apart from readings of several other unidentified lifeforms as well.

"It **was** a stealth mission until we found out there are other 'things' living in here," Cliff continued, jolting his head to the side as he heard a crashing noise off in the distance. "Anyway, the humanoid reading is just up ahead, and I think the computer mainframe is up here too since my quad scanner is picking up a power source. Hopefully we'll find the Killers' database and records of what happened."

"Here's hoping," Han grunted, relaxing a bit as they left the hallway and entered a larger room with double doors on one end. "Besides, I've dealt with all sorts of weird and wacky creatures in my travels...nothing scares me now, I..."

In a blurred flash of fur, something pounced heavily onto Han and sunk its teeth into his jacket, snarling ferociously as it ripped a piece of it out in its slobbery jaws. Luke and Cliff spun around and saw what could only be described as a gigantic 'zombie dog' on top of Solo, patches of scabby red skin showing through its clumpy fur and eyes seething with murderous rage. Luke immediately swung his lightsaber at it, but the creature shot like lightning out of the weapon's path and over towards Cliff. He tried to clobber it with his gauntlets but it was too fast and it managed to sink it's teeth into the blond's arm before turning and heading for Luke. By now, Han was firing his blaster all over the place while Cliff just stood there, shocked he had actually missed his target.

The fiend bared its fangs and growled viciously as it sped towards Skywalker, readying to jump him. With a quick bit of thinking on Luke's part, the creature suddenly froze in mid-run and was soon hanging in the air by its neck, an invisible force grip choking it as it struggled for breath. Han now had a clear aim at the thing and he shot it with his blaster...but the gunfire seemed to have no effect on the monster...and even worse, another one appeared through a hole in the wall and started running towards Han.

The situation definately called for drastic measures. Luke frantically hurled his lightsaber at the dog beast, since his force grip was weakening, and the weapon spun violently in circles like a viridian halo of death before slicing the fiend's head clean off its body and then coming back to its bearer. Meanwhile, Cliff summoned a powerful ice spell — which could catch such a quick moving enemy — and a massive spire of ice erupted from the floor and trapped the second creature within it, ending its life before it could do any damage.

"WHAT the HELL was THAT?" Han roared once everything was silent again.

Cliff cast a cure spell on himself and gave a tired shrug. "Whatever they were, they won't bother us anymore. Let's get outta here."

"That looked so much like a dog it was scary," Luke whispered to Han who nodded. As Cliff made for the double doors, Luke grabbed Han's hand and held it tight. It wasn't that he was frightened. It just...felt like the right thing to do. And to his surprise, Solo didn't protest.

In the next room the trio found some sort of control centre with a multitude of computer screens, most still operational. They split up and tried different ones to see if they could learn anything. Cliff triggered some sort of audio playback and they all stood and listened:

"_Stardate 13.21.772. Something has gone terribly wrong. Our extraction of the last quantum power crystals known to exist has caused some sort of chain reaction, causing everything natural to wither and perish. We won't last long here without food and water, even if we have a new source of power. What have we done; this could be the end for us… President Jackman is going to order a full scale evacuation to Zion — I know as he has let his guard down lately and I was able to read his mind — but how we are going to fit everyone on that one moon escapes me… If there is one thing for certain about us as a species, it's that our thirst to control and conquer is never quenched. I am sure one of the neighbouring star systems will be taken over so we can settle there. _

_Stardate 13.23.772. Massive areas of the city are losing power, including the government facilities that have been experimenting on animals to make them stronger and more genetically superior — so far with unsuccessful results. They've turned them into monsters. Many have escaped and are running wild through the streets, attacking people who are already panicked about the evacuation. I've heard they are going to fire on the cities from Zion once they are emptied to deal with the creatures and prevent their spread to other still occupied areas. _

_Final Entry: Stardate 13.26.772. It's a miracle! A field of asteroids has appeared out of nowhere. We can use these to finally put our meteor propulsion technology to use and escape our dying planet for good. With our two existing ships — made from the asteroids orbiting our planet — and the new ones we will hastily make, we should be able to bring almost everyone along with us to settle somewhere else. And no one will be able to stop us, no one ever has. We have only one weakness, and she is well protected and will never be found by any of the species we've run into — I assure you that. It is our right to rule all...and this is our stepping stone to fulfilling our destiny. _

"Wow," was all that left Cliff's lips once the recording turned to static and faded. "Talk about having a 'God-complex'."

"Hmm...so that's what happened," Luke uttered, rubbing his chin pensively.

There was a far off rumble in one of the corridors which abruptly reminded the trio they shouldn't stick around in one spot too long. Han was looking across the room at a bright yellow door and could see a light on through the small window. He thought he saw something briefly pop up and look at the group.

"I don't know about you guys, but don't you think that life-sign we're reading could be this girl the message talked about?"

"Let's hope so, for our sake. It's nice to know their charming history and all, but what we really came for is to find a way to weaken the Killers so we can take them on — and finish them off," Cliff proclaimed resolutely, clenching his fists and stretching his arms left and right. "Hmm, let's see...my scanner says the lifeform is right over there," he continued, pointing at the yellow door.

Luke sprinted over and tried to open it. "It won't budge...it's magnetically sealed. None of our weapons will be able to break it."

Cliff laughed unconcernedly through his nose. "Haha! You forget that these fuckers are from yer universe and not mine...they have never encountered symbology before so…"

The blond marched over to the door, weaving through piles of scorched metal. Placing the palm of his right hand onto the back of his left one, he pulled them both back towards his chest and called forth a spell. Streams of amethyst and fuchsia magic appeared from nowhere and swirled into a growing vortex in front of Cliff's hands. As the room brightened with symbology, a rune formed over the door and the Klausian drove his hands forward with force, sending the sorcery surging towards the door in a mighty and merciless shockwave. It blew the bulky door right off its hinges into the room behind it, and dust and debris clouded the area like a storm of locusts.

The trio rushed to the doorway and peeked into the cell-like room, trying to see through the haze of rubble. As it slowly settled, they could see a short shadowy figure standing amidst the dust. The person stepped forward, and they discovered that it was a young girl, only about 7, looking up at them with giant, hopeful scarlet eyes.

"Are you here to help me?" she said eagerly, cheeks lifted with anticipation and hands gripped together in front of her neck.

**SAY WHAT? TO BE CONTINUED!!**

(A/N: Okay. So next chapter we'll find out about Cliff's dream and we'll reunite with Fayt. It's good I made him stay on Midgard cuz i was finally forced to write some proper HanxLuke. A visit to Klaus is also upcoming. Those crazy Thought Killers huh?)


	8. Chapter 8: Glimpses of the Past on Klaus

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke

Rating: PG

Summary: Who is this girl left all alone on the Killers' former planet? Whoever she is, things on the Saviour are a lot more interesting now. Kids say the darnest things. Anyway, it's time to reunite with Fayt on Midgard and see how his training went. And THEN...off to Klaus III...Cliff's home planet! What a cool place...for Cliff to finally tell Fayt what the hell is going on.

Shoutouts: Zelavril - I hope you didn't have withdrawal from my story since I haven't updated for a while :D I had a nice little holiday and the weather turned out perfect. lol that part about you hearing a Star Wars theme while you were reading is funny...even if i don't quite get it! But as long as you do that's awesome! i wasn't sure if the cinnamon bun & rose petal description for the kiss would work but i like taking risks and i think it does and i'm glad you liked it! i'm super glad u liked the lemon. i actually had to take a breather after writing it cuz i thought it was so hot myself! haha. and splendiferous IS a word! i love using crazy words! Spectralwings: yay for confusing you with mysteries! haha, well at least one mystery is revealed here...to do with Cliff's dream. Sweet! I'm so glad the picture is coming along nicely and you've drawn one you really like! I really wished they would have gone to Klaus in the game too! But at least they do in my story!

**Chapter 8:**

_So sacrifice yourself,  
And let me have what's left,  
I know that I can find,  
The **fire** in your eyes.  
I'm going all the way,  
Get away, please..._

_**You take the breath right out of me**,  
You left a hole where my heart should be,  
You've gotta fight just to make it through,  
Cause I will be the death of you..._

_- Song by Breaking Benjamin 'Breath'_

----------------------------------------------------

Cliff craned his neck forward to get a better look at the girl standing in front of him — she barely came up to his waist. One of his eyebrows curled down dramatically like it was trying to asphyxiate his eyeball and his mouth involuntarily popped open as a breath of disbelief spurted out.

"**This** is the Killers' weakness!?" he declared forcefully, surveying the stranger from head to toe. She had two little strawberry blonde pigtails sprouting out the sides of her head and her features were soft and baby-like. Her eyes were way too big for her face, which was dirty and dusty like the rest of her clothes. The girl exuded the very definition of innocence: it swept along her sweet smile and out of her sparking irises, and even displayed itself in the graceful way she held her hands together. Cliff didn't even try to think about how she could be a threat to the Killers, his mind simply shut off, this surprise being the tipping point that plunged it from sunlit skies into the obscurity of Stress Lake. With Fayt on his mind almost constantly, there was no room left up there for stuff like this.

"This has gotta be some kind of joke!" Han bellowed, convinced that some Thought Killers would jump out at any moment and go 'YOU GOT PUNK'D!'. But everything remained quiet around them, except for a gentle click of the girl's tongue which signaled she expected an answer to her question.

Noticing that Cliff and Han were hesitating, Luke took the lead and crouched down in front of the girl to talk to her face-to-face. "Of course we're here to rescue you. I'm Luke, and this is Han and Cliff. What's your name?"

The fire in her scarlet eyes was suddenly stoked upon hearing Luke's words. "Yay, I'm so happy now! My name is L-e-i-l-a," she said, elongating her name as though it was part of a song. "Hurry and get me out of here before the scary people return," she continued, balling her hands into fists and shaking them around in over-exaggerated fear.

"There's some of them still here?" Han wondered aloud.

"Sort of," she explained. "They come down from their moon to feed me every once in a while. They're so mean," she sniffed, "they took me away from my mommy and daddy and locked me in here a few days ago."

Luke glanced bewilderedly at Han who just shrugged in response. Cliff still looked like a fish out of water and Luke was starting to get worried that his eyebrow might get stuck in its current position of incredulity.

Deciding it was time to go, Skywalker tenderly ruffled up Leila's hair and grabbed one of her hands.

"So what are we supposed to do with her?" Han asked rather bluntly, wondering _how on Mars_ this puny girl was going to help them defeat the Killers.

Before anyone could respond, Leila had wriggled out of Luke's hand and pranced over to Cliff to take his large hand instead, inhaling in awe as she examined the gauntlet over it. "It's not that I don't want to hold your hand, Mr. Luke," she explained when she saw a tiny bit of disappointment wash over his face, "I just think you should hold Mr. Han's hand...'cause he's looking at you a lot like he wants to," she advised, smiling knowingly. "I can tell."

A singular nervous laugh came from Han's direction as Luke glared at him with a giant grin on his face. "Intuitive, this one is. A little blunt though...although I guess I'm used to that hanging around you all the time…"

Cliff shook the fog out of his head and stared between them, his eyebrow dropping even more as his face screwed up in confused understanding. "What were y'guys doing anyways," he began slowly, "when I called ya to the bridge before?"

Luke spoke up when he saw Solo with his hands deep in his pockets, about to stammer a reply. "Oh we were just holding hands as we are going to now. Leila's orders."

She beamed at him and set off across the room, dragging Cliff along behind her like he was some kind of giant stray golden retriever she had decided to keep.

----------------------------------------------------

"Okay, we're jumping to gravitic warp in 3...2...1…"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

All three men on the bridge of the Saviour jumped simultaneously and jerked their heads to stare anxiously at Leila — Han and Luke trying to get the ringing out of their ears and Cliff clutching his chest.

"Hey! What was that for, huh!? Y'almost broke the front screen with that shriek — and I thought Fulminatin' Farleen was bad! Are ya tellin' me you've never gone into warp before?"

Leila sat on the very edge of Fayt's seat, swinging her dangling legs around. "Oh no no. I just like doing that every time it happens...It's so much fun!"

"Fun, if you want to die of a heart attack," Han whispered vehemently to Luke, now fully remembering why he never wanted kids.

"Don't worry," she announced cheerily with a swish of her hand, having overheard him. "Next time you'll know it's coming so it won't scare you so much."

Solo exhaled extremely loudly — similar to a steam-powered train — which caused Luke to grab him and guide him off the bridge to calm down...it also seemed like a good time to go 'examine' that 'engine room' again.

For the rest of the trip back to Midgard, Leila made smacking noises with her lips, apparently acting out what Han and Luke were doing somewhere in the ship. Cliff tried to ignore her as his excitement to see Fayt again was building in his chest...or maybe that was just the scream he was going to let out soon if a certain little girl did not shut the hell up.

When they finally arrived at the planet, instead of screeching as they came out of warp, Leila inhaled nosily and started immediately coughing from doing it so vivaciously. Cliff absentmindedly patted her on the back as he inhaled at the same time, shocked at what he was seeing.

There was a massive new crater on the surface of Midgard, luckily in one of the barren areas between the domed cities…but still. _Did the Killers find the place while we were gone? _he pondered briefly, noticing that scans weren't picking up any evidence of that possibility. _Ohhh, or maybe it's just…_

He found his answer when the foursome beamed down into Ally's home and had a long discussion with Dr. Zoda. Apparently, Fayt's control over his power had improved immensely, but in the process of mastering it, he had accidentally blown a hole into the planet's surface. Zoda had predicted something like that would happen, so that was why they trained out in Midgard's dead areas, to avoid anyone getting hurt.

"Fayt's in the guest room," Ally answered when the question of where he was came up. "You go ahead while we talk to Leila here...but I warn you...he's in a foul mood today…"

_Oh great_, Cliff thought, ruffling his fingers through his sunny hair. _Good to see he hasn't changed at all since we left_. _And I still haven't made up my mind yet...I need just a little more time…_

When he gingerly opened the door and peered inside, Fayt was lying comfortably on the floor beside the bed, eyes half closed.

The bluenette was feeling both angry and sad at the same time. Being all alone without any of his friends around had given him far too much time to think, to dwell, to sink into dark emotions. He really missed his dad. He felt like he needed some guidance, some wisdom, and his father had always been reliable with that, even if he was always busy with his work. _But then again, __**I**__ was his work_. _They spent more time researching what do with __**me**__, how to make __**me**__ into a weapon, than actually spending time with me...and I don't even know if mom is dead or not. But I know all my friends from home are…_ A single tear swept down his temple and jumped onto the floor.

_And Cliff...what is going on with him!? What is he hiding? __**Why**__ is he hiding it? I've told him so much about my past and he won't even return the favour. It doesn't make any sense...I thought…especially after… _The inside of his eyelids were turning crimson with irritation. _When he gets back I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind…_

"Fayt…"

The sound of Cliff's sexy voice seemed to swiftly drain all the anger and sadness from him so that when he leapt off the floor and went over to welcome him back, he could think of nothing nasty to say anymore. Instead they embraced for what seemed like an eternity and then Fayt gave Cliff a quick peck on the cheek as they finally separated.

"Oh, sorry," he muttered, remembering that might be inappropriate.

"Nah, it's okay," the blond replied, folding his arms together. "So I see you've been blowin' things up again while I've been gone. First the Vendeeni — not that that was a problem — and now you're putting craters in the planet of our gracious hosts. What next, eh?"

An impish glitter appeared in the bluenette's forest green eyes followed by a wry smile. "Well, I figured I'd blow you next, if you didn't mind."

"Uhh..ahh…" Cliff stammered, unable to form a complete sentence. He finally just gave up and started laughing. Seeing that Fayt wasn't joking — he just stood silently and watched Cliff, blinking a few times — the blond ceased his laughter and tried to look serious. "Ah, Fayt? Tell me ya won't say anythin' like that when we go visit my family on Klaus…"

"Wha-imme-a-break?!" Fayt stuttered boisterously, accidentally combining two things he wanted to ask into one garbled utterance. Flipping his tongue around to clear the verbal vomit from his mouth, he tried again. "What? We're going to Klaus now?"

Cliff took a long-drawn-out laborious breath, showing how lackadaisical he really felt about visiting his home. "Ya, I promised my mom I'd drop by for a family dinner tomorrow...ya don't want to know what she'd do if I missed it…" he grunted, motioning a hand in front of his neck like it was a knife. "And Dr. Zoda said it's fine if we go since he needs time to go over the data we collected from the Killers' homeplanet."

"No, that's fine with me. I want to meet your family, we didn't have time on our pit stop there before our trip to Mars," the bluenette replied as he tilted his head down for a moment before glaring back up at Cliff. "And the second thing I want to say is...GIMME A BREAK! You're worried about me saying something tactless at the dinner when you're the one who wanted to say the Queen of Aquaria was hot...**to her face**!"

Initially the Klausian looked taken aback and his cheeks flushed like sunset roses. Fayt was enjoying the reaction to his retort and he could practically see the cogs slowly turning in Cliff's head as he thought back to when they were on Elicoor. "IT WAS A JOKE!" he finally roared, the memory having returned. "I was teasing! HELLO? I'm Cliff Fittir remember! That's what I do!" _Nobody gets me...I'm just a misunderstood man..._he finally mused dejectedly to himself.

Fayt snickered merrily in response. "I know, take it easy Cliff, I'm just playing with ya. Someone's tense. Really, you're probably the funniest person in all of Klaus...not that you'd ever get me to admit that to you."

"Didn't you just…?"

The bluenette continued laughing and began to shove his friend out of the room so the others could see his blushing red face before it cleared up.

----------------------------------------------------

Fayt was laughing again, like he had the first time he'd briefly visited Klaus III. As he looked out the front screen of the Saviour, there was a colossal illuminated sign attached to the space station floating in orbit around the planet that read:

**Welcome to the Klaus System**

and in smaller letters below, no longer illuminated:

_Federation ships need not apply_.

Cliff had explained that Klausians pride themselves on their self-reliance and that although the mood of the official government and the majority of Klausians towards the Federation was chilly, Quark was the only organization that actually did something about it. Ultimately, what made the Klaus System unique — he explained — was that is was one of very few left that didn't belong to any multi-planetary governments.

"Haha! That's funny!" Leila suddenly declared in a high-pitched squeal, reminding everyone that she was there. When Cliff, Fayt, Han, and Luke had left Midgard, Leila had insisted on coming along for the trip. Ally had impressed upon them that time was against them and to hurry back since the latest news was that the Killers had taken over Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter's moons — all of which had been too weak defensively from the Executioner attack to mount any sort of resistance. The foursome had hoped Dr. Zoda would intervene and require Leila to stay to make their trip easier, but after doing a full-body creation scan on her before bedtime, he said there was no reason to leave her behind as he had everything he needed to interpret the results of both the scan and the data Cliff's quad scanner picked up while on the enemy's planet.

"Aww, she's so cute," Fayt murmured to Cliff, who snorted disagreeably. "Kind of reminds me of Sophia when she was little."

Luke had foolishly shown off his Jedi powers to her, and now she demanded that he continuously lift her into the air with the force and then bring her back down, over and over and over again. Han didn't seem to mind as he relaxed in the lounge, sipping a beer while resting his arm behind Luke's neck. He had truly grown fond of the replicator in the kitchen and was no longer too anxious about returning to the Rebel Alliance and their backward technologies. He did miss his ship though. And he fully intended to get it back when they were finally ready to go to Mars again.

"Hold on folks! We're passing through the outer atmosphere!" Cliff advised the crew with gusto.

There was only one word to describe how Klaus looked from above: **lush**. The small dots that were the planet's cities towered over varied landscapes ranging from dense rainforest to vast viridian meadows to sprawling sparkling lakes to comely snow-capped mountains. The Klausian oceans were probably half the size of Earth's oceans and forest cover seemed to make up the difference.

As they dropped to lower altitude and headed towards Cliff's hometown of Keremeos, it became apparent that Klausians valued the planet's natural landscape as the cities did not sprawl like those in the Sol System, rather they built up instead of out to accommodate the growing population. As the ship sped past super tall buildings down towards its destination, Cliff explained to Han and Luke that Klausians believed the past was very important and thus the many old buildings that remained interspersed among the modern skyscrapers attested to that. Keremeos was a mosaic of old and new — each level of the city had freeways on which cars drove, like ancient 21st century Earth, but there were also masses of flying vehicles soaring through the air alongside the ship. Unlike Mars, there were no trees or parks in the city, a result of the Klausian belief that raising a natural plant in an artificial landscape and training it to grow how someone desired was blasphemous. 'Don't force order on something that is naturally chaotic' was how the saying went.

_Perhaps that's why Klaus detests the Federation so_, Fayt pondered. _And why Cliff is clinging onto whatever happened in the past that is preventing us from going out…_

The Saviour finally approached the space port closest to his mother's home. Just before entering the docks, Fayt caught a glimpse of one of those amazing floating islands scattered throughout the city: each one of these was bewitched by symbology to stay suspended in the air and each contained a dojo that taught the arts of the Jinju school of Taijutsu — of which Cliff and Mirage were students.

"I'll be right back and then we can go meet the family," Cliff announced suddenly once they had landed, before heading towards the transporter room by himself.

"What? Where are you going?" Han queried, mindlessly staring from the empty beer bottle in his hand to the replicator to Cliff.

The blond waved a hand in the air and didn't turn around. "I just need to do something quickly, no worries."

Fayt and Luke stared at each other, sensing the suspicion they each felt over this strange departure.

"Umm, **LOL!**" Luke abruptly blurted out with a roll of his tongue. Han turned to stare at him, puzzled. "Oh I was just laughing at Leila," Luke hurriedly continued after realizing how strange his utterance must have been. She was lying on the ground rubbing her derriere after the Jedi had inadvertently ceased his force power and dropped her when Cliff said he was leaving. She crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue at him.

"We'll be right back," Fayt said as he and Luke made for his bedroom to discuss the current status of operation LOL and what was going on with Cliff.

"WHAT!? Where are you two going now?"

"To the engine room," Luke joked, giving Han a dazzling sapphire gaze that assured the latter he was only kidding. "The replicator's waiting for you, Han. That should keep you busy."

"Fuck," Han mumbled under his breath as they left. "They leave me here with HER…"

Leila got herself up off the floor and glanced tiredly at Han, still eager as ever. "So, can I see your gun?"

"No you may not, missy," he replied immediately while squinting his eyes.

Without skipping a beat she walked over to the lounge bench he was sitting on and climbed right into his lap. Resting her head against his chest, she closed her eyes and started nodding off. A little shocked, but relieved, Han gently rubbed her back until she muttered one more thing before falling asleep: "You love Mr. Luke, don't you?"

"You know what kiddo?" he whispered aloud, even though she was now asleep. "I think I do."

----------------------------------------------------

Fifteen minutes passed and Cliff still hadn't returned to the ship. After talking to Luke, Fayt decided to follow the transport coordinates and see where the big guy had gone. After the transport room faded from view, he found himself in the middle of a grassy field with dark clouds overhead and warm rain softly falling around him. Up ahead, the pasture rose up into a little hill that abruptly dropped off into an endless lake dotted with flowering lily pads and tall reeds. There were a few strange looking trees spotting the landscape and Cliff was standing beside one up on the misty knoll.

The sight of the Klausian instantly sucked the bluenette's breath right out of him. He was so handsome standing there alone, gazing out over the water, the strong and sensuous wind catching his longish bangs and the rest of his golden hair and streaming it backwards behind him like a lucent comet's tail. The collar of his charcoal-coloured vest was flapping around like his hair and as Fayt approached him, he could see the Klausian was deep in a well of thought.

"Hey…"

The blond turned and his bangs fluttered over his forehead. "Oh Fayt, it's you."

Fayt blinked his eyelashes, which were now adorned with tiny glistening spheres of rain. "What are you doing here, Cliff?"

"Oh, y'know…" he replied mystically. He took Fayt's hand and led him down the hill to a spot where the grassland was level with the lake. "Yo, kid, see these orbs hanging from the trees?"

Fayt took a close look at the translucent globes dangling like fruit from the tall, weeping willow-type tree closest to them. He could see people inside them! Images moving around..._wait...that's Cliff when he was younger! But who's that girl he's holding hands with…?_

Cliff continued when he saw the bluenette's jaw drop. "These trees are native to Klaus. They bear fruit that display images — or recordings — of what actually happened near each of these trees at different times in the past. The one you're lookin' at...that's me and my last girlfriend, Lily…"

The bluenette mopped away the gathering raindrops around his eyes. "What happened to her?"

Cliff let his eyelids fall and folded his arms together before responding. "Before I tell ya, I wantcha to know that I didn't just go out with girls when I was younger...before Lily I went out with a guy...that's what I was tryin' to tell ya before."

"Okayyy….?" the Earthling replied, confused at why this was coming out now, but relieved nonetheless.

"Anyways, I thought me and Lily were meant to be together, y'know? Those days were so groovy back then; in that sphere there, we were just relaxing by the lake before taking a swim. This was our secret place where we escaped together, to get away from it all...from all the politics…" The blond paused and shook his head around, sending heaven's tears flying in all directions. "But she was battlin' with herself inside...she'd had a rough childhood and she had never quite put it behind her. Just when I thought everythin' was going well, she tried to commit suicide a year into our relationship…"

Fayt gasped quietly and moved to lay a hand on his companion's back. Cliff went on: "I saved her from herself though, we made it through that episode, together. But then, a few months later, we went on a holiday to Klaus's North Pole to have some fun in the snow...and it happened again. She disappeared one cloudy morning, said she was going out for a walk by the frozen lake to look at an icicle waterfall...the way she said goodbye, I didn't realize it until it was too late, this time...I...I...couldn't _save_ her…"

By now, Fayt couldn't tell if Cliff was crying or not; what with the raindrops streaming down his face. But his eyes were red, like an ocean surrounded by suffocating sunset. The blond opened his mouth again, but his voice was like Fayt had never heard before — hollow, breathy, and ghostlike.

"**I can still hear her scream…**"

A shiver ran up and down Fayt's spine as he listened to Cliff describe what was haunting him. _That's so terrible_, he thought, giving Cliff a bear hug and saying he was sorry to hear it. But with this confession, a burning question was rising to the front of Fayt's mind: _But what does this have to do with me? Why can't he go out with me? It's not like I would…_

"Cliff, I don't understand. Is this story connected to us?"

The blond shifted his weight onto his other leg, wearily staring straight into the bluenette's eyes, wondering if he would be able to say what he knew he must. He took a deep, deep breath and placed both hands on the bluenette's shoulders…

**HAHA! FAYTHANGER! I'M SO EVIL! TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: By the way, for the sign in space for Klaus, there was supposed to be an asterisk after Welcome to the Klaus System, like what they do in ads and stuff so you read the fine print. And then the second asterisk was suppoed to be before Federation Ships Need Not Apply :D Stupid fanfiction doesn't allow asterisks. Up next, the Fittir family revealed!)


	9. Chapter 9: A Fittir Family Function

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke

Rating: PG

Summary: The skeleton in Fayt's closet comes back to haunt him as Cliff draws the unfortunate connection between his past relationship and his feelings over Fayt. Then the crew arrives at Cliff's mom's house for the big family dinner! Klausian mayhem at its best! Meet his siblings, friends, and his mom, who can't help but share embarassing stories from his past...

Shoutouts: Zelavril - you know what's weird? 'asterisks' is spelled funny. i wouldn't think it would be like that. that's so funny u thought Leila was Leia. when i was thinking of a name for her, i came up with Leila before i realized how similar it was to Leia!! then i was like 'i have to use it now'. haha 'Klaus III XD'! i get what you meant even if it wasn't a sentence :D i'm glad you liked Klaus, i've been looking foward to describing it and contrasting it to Earth cuz of the frosty relationship between the two systems. haha i laughed so hard about the 'groovy' thing! it sounds like that description of Cliff standing in the wind had the effect i wanted it to! excellent! 'Everyone just feels human...': YES! that's what i'm looking for with my story and I'm glad you think so! Spectralwings - Enjoy the chappy! i hope my drawing is going well :D whaddaya think of Klaus?

**Chapter 9:**

The heavy hands resting on Fayt's shoulders shifted restlessly as Cliff took a few moments to gather his thoughts. While anxious anticipation filled the air surrounding them, Fayt suddenly heard an enchanting sound coming from the direction of the lake. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that it was silent, the tiny drops of rain were playing a mysterious melody on the lake's silvered surface. The plips and plops seemed more amplified than normal and they spread outward through the fog like a falling forest of pearlescent stars, thousands upon thousands of them gently sploshing into the sitting water in a resplendent tune of reunion and rebirth. In fact, most of these droplets were rejoining their home in the lake after a long journey through the water cycle and the moment of contact signified a renewal of vows — complete with sparkling rings and a song of joy. In-between the wavy rings on the lake, little water bugs were surfing along in gentle arcs trying to avoid the rainfall, transforming the top of the lake into a striking pattern of heavenly halos and curving horns.

Prying his senses away from nature's chorus, Fayt focused back on Cliff, who had a pained look on his face.

"Okay kid, here's how it is. I'm gonna get right to the point. You tried to kill yerself after we defeated Luther, while we were still on Elicoor. Out of sheer luck I found ya teeterin' on the edge of a cliff in Aquios, and I grabbed you and dragged ya back to the castle...since you were so persistent on ending yer life...as you put it. And whaddaya know, the next day you had woken up and completely forgot about the whole thing. And we all agreed we didn't want to remind you about it, seeing y'already had enough on your mind."

Cliff watched as the bluenette's eyes grew larger and larger, yet something was amiss — they had an unusual dullness and emptiness to them since Fayt consciousness had gone searching his head for a memory...any little shard to back up what he was hearing.

"That's why, Fayt...that's why," the blond continued, sighing sorrowfully. "I didn't want to go out with ya 'cause of what happened with Lily. I thought it would be the same thing all over again with you. I'd already saved ya once...no twice…an' I knew that one day my luck would run out, as it did with her. I'm sorry I was such an asshole after that afternoon at the Seymour River, it probably looked like I was just takin' advantage of you…"

Fayt mind was in a blender, and the noise was deafening — drowning out the soothing song of the lake. Thoughts were viciously battling each other for prominence while scores of emotions swirled into his psyche like a Category Five hurricane, flattening his fortifications of rationality.

"You didn't…you thought?" the young man managed, his voice frail and cracked. But before his companion could answer, anger had finally won the war — as it often does — and erupted to the surface. Releasing his fingers from his throbbing temples, Fayt felt pressure building up like vinegar and baking soda in a wine bottle, looking for sweet release.

"**CL-IFFFFF! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME...YOU IDIOTIC OAF! **All this time you've been hiding the fact I tried to commit suicide from me...who does that sort of thing anyway? 'Let's not tell Fayt what he did because he conveniently forgot about it and he's just a kid so he can't handle the truth'. **Gimme a break**. And you just went along with them…and I wondered all this time why I felt this way...and why you were avoiding me…"

The bluenette's voice faded away until he just grunted hopelessly and collapsed cross-legged onto the ground, shaking his head and muttering quietly to himself.

Cliff stood there, as still as Albel after being stunned by some unfortunate enemy. For a few seconds he felt sincerely hurt by what Fayt had said...before waking from his reverie and acknowledging that he would be just as mad if he were Fayt. Slicking his now very wet hair back with one hand, he knelt down and tenderly brushed the rain from the bluenette's rosy cheeks.

"I'm not gonna keep saying sorry, cause it's stupid what I did, I know. I just wantcha to know that I did it because I couldn't stand to see ya in any more pain. I guess I didn't learn anything from hiding from you that you were a weapon on Elicoor," he admitted aloud, squeezing Fayt's shoulder with one hand. "I am only Klausian y'know. But I think you'll be happy to know that I've changed my mind about us."

_What did he say? _Those words pierced through the crushing blackness in Fayt's mind and he instantly perked up, like a dog being called for a treat. "Is...is that why you were talking in past tense?"

"Ya," Cliff replied, casually waving his right hand. "I've done a lot of thinkin' and you've made me realize that the past is just that — the past. As they say on Earth...well I guess it would be Mars now...what's done is done. I can't change what happened, it's behind me now and I need to move on and not let fear of a memory affect my happiness in the present and the future. You and Lily are entirely differently people; entirely. You have a resilience like I've never seen before."

"Wow Cliff, that was quite philosophical of you," Fayt said quietly, glancing up at the many fruit spheres hanging above him and their fluid insides. "And sweet."

"Well that's just my _smooth lover _side talking. Y'know, that side I showed you at the river…" He went silent and did a feisty little bite into the air to make clear what he was talking about.

Fayt slipped onto his knees and stretched up to kiss Cliff with lips that were still trembling with unease. The smooch was slippery and moist from the light rain still coming down and the warmth that spread between them was welcoming and relaxing. But Fayt still had things he had to think about.

"You better go back to the ship and dry off, Cliff. I'm gonna stay here for a little while longer….You trust me, don't you?"

"Absolutely I do," he responded without hesitation. "I know kid, it's a bit much. Take the time to think it over. I'll be waiting for my boyfriend back on the Saviour."

_My boyfriend_. It sounded so wonderful.

As Cliff stood up, he grabbed the fruit from the tree that kept replaying the image of him and Lily holding hands and proceeded to take a bite out of it. "MMMmmm, no need for this to be here anymore, huh?"

He finished it off with a few more sloppy chomps and then vanished in a plume of turquoise light. The pitter-patter of the rain on the lake returned, and little did Fayt know, but the beginnings of a new fruit were forming in the tree over his head to replace the one just taken.

----------------------------------------------------

"OH MY GOD, LOOK WHO IT IS!"

Before he could so much as open his mouth to say 'hello', Cliff found himself in a suffocating embrace, his youngest sister having literally attacked him as soon as she answered the door.

"WHOA THERE, take it easy...you'd think I'd been gone for a year or something. By the way everyone, this is Savannah, my sister," he said to Fayt, Han, Luke, and Leila — who were standing wide-eyed in the hallway.

She finally pulled away from him and smiled at the others. "You were gone for a year, Clifford. And oh, by the way, I had another boy in the mean time."

The serenity shattering screams of wild kids echoed towards the doorway as she spoke. Han muttered something under his breath while Leila face's lit up. "What?! No way, Savvy! Congrats! What's his name?" Cliff bellowed.

Fayt stood in a bit of a daze studying Savannah and only half-listening. She looked in her mid-twenties, with that same dazzling blonde hair as her brother's, but it barely touched her shoulders and it had much more of a wave to it. — _His name's Kiran... _— . She had an elegant longish neck and was wearing a simple bright yellow dress that complemented her hazel eyes. And her laugh was infectious.

"Nice to meet you," Luke offered, shaking her hand and bowing slightly. She chuckled and turned to greet Han, who discreetly brushed his hand against his pant leg before raising it.

A woman's voice suddenly erupted from somewhere inside. "CLIFF! Is that you? I recognize that manly voice any day...get in here and give me a hug!"

Savannah hastily wished Fayt and Leila welcome and the group stepped into the house and headed to the living room. One word summed up how the place looked: **cozy**. Quite a few knickknacks lined the perimeter of the room and the walls appeared to be made of cedar panels, complete with knots and all. Really, the walls could change to any colour or texture as they were actually covered by holographic screens. There didn't seem to be one sharp edge in the house as all the walls curved, and there was a massive leather crescent couch in front of the holovision. A couple of kids were glued to the screen, kneeling in front of it, and the sensational smell of turkey and stuffing was wafting into the room.

As he looked around at the different pictures on the wall, Fayt suddenly felt something warm brush his hand — igniting a memory of Cliff offering a rescuing hand in the cold cells of Vanguard III — and he discovered that said blond's fingers were now intertwined with his own. Their eyes met for a brief second and Fayt bathed in the rays of Cliff's sunshine smile. _Wow, I guess we're meeting his mom like this then…_

A short, slender woman emerged from the kitchen off to one side of the room and stopped dead in her tracks, breathing in the scene in front of her. She had big, curly hair and wrinkles were beginning to fold their way into her neck and along the edge of her face. Her eyes were shockingly blue, and they reminded Fayt of his boyfriend's.

"You…! Fayt!" she stuttered, pointing back and forth between them so enthusiastically you'd think she had won the lottery. "I don't believe it! You're...I mean...**with him**?" She finally took a deep breath and cleared her throat. "Clifford! You and FAYT LEINGOD are a couple?" was her triumphant shout, the volume greatly increasing as she said the bluenette's name.

Cliff clenched his spare fist in front of his chest. "Hell ya, mom. Whaddaya think?" he replied proudly, releasing Fayt's hand and moving his own to encircle the bluenette's back and squeeze him close, as if readying to take a photo. The latter simply grinned uncomfortably and started turning beet red.

"You're going out with The Saviour of the Universe...? The most famous man in the galaxy?! The blue-haired cutie! Why, Cliff, I believe I'm jealous," Savannah teased, winking conspicuously at Fayt.

Cliff's mom, Lois, ventured a few steps towards them. "AND YOU ALREADY HAVE A DAUGHTER TOGETHER!" she shrieked joyously, fanning herself hastily and pointing directly at Leila with her other hand, who immediately glanced back and forth between Cliff, Fayt, Han, and Luke, her pigtails soaring through the air. "Is she yours or did you adopt her…?"

"**NO MOM**," Cliff interrupted, speaking to her in monotone as if she were a child. "What are you thinkin'? We just started going out, there's no way we would have a kid yet...duh. This here is Leila, our esteemed guest on our journey to deal with those Killers."

"Ahhh…" Savannah and Lois said at once.

Leila wandered up and offered a hand to Lois. "Glad to meet your acquaintance," she expertly stated.

"She's adorable!" Cliff's mom cried, catching sight of Luke and Han cowering behind everyone. "And look who else you've brought along! SPACE PIRATES from that GAY club downtown in FULL UNIFORM! Come now, is the older one taken?"

Fayt and Cliff both burst out laughing and Leila shrieked gleefully as they watched the mistaken couple's faces turn from pink to red to purple.

"Look here…" Han began, glancing over at Cliff for help with his mom's name, which he said through broken laughter, "...Lois. I'll have you know that I am one of the best space pirates in the galaxy, not some fake-ass poser from a dance club."

"What he means to say Mrs. Fittir," Luke said urgently, jumping in and shoving Han's side, "is that he is taken...by me that is. And I'm not a pirate, I'm a Jedi."

"A Jedi…?" she mumbled confusedly, before the kids watching the holovision joined in the raucous welcome. The three of them, two girls and a boy (the former belonging to Cliff's other sister, and the latter Savannah's), gave hearty hugs to every single guest before hugging each other and then all dropping to their knees and grabbing onto Cliff's legs like three deadweights, giggling madly and crying 'Go Uncle Cliff Go'.

"Okay Fayt," Cliff began, dragging the kids along the floor with much effort towards the kitchen, "Let's go meet Natalia, the middle kid in the family."

Cliff's mom gave him a bear hug on the way past and then headed for the couch where Leila had sat down. Luke and Han were now engaged in animated discussion with Savannah so they left them there and sauntered into the kitchen. There, standing over a steaming pot, was Natalia, Cliff's other sister. Her hair was done up in a bun and she was a bit plumper than her siblings — ostensibly from her recent pregnancy to the baby that she had balanced on one hip. A fair-sized tattoo of a dragon spewing blue flame wrapped around her left arm.

"Ahh! Look who decided to show up!" she declared vociferously, managing to somehow briefly embrace her brother while still holding the baby boy. "I heard mom's screams from the living room. So, you're finally settling down with someone, eh?"

"I hope so, Lia. I gotta tell ya later about how I met him in the first place. He's incredible."

Cliff beamed at Fayt who suddenly felt his legs grow as heavy as lead. The three kids had migrated from Cliff and were now hanging off his legs, trying to make him move by bouncing their bottoms along the ground. "Nice to meet you, Natalia. I..._oww_...didn't know..._hold on a sec guys!_...that Cliff had such a big family."

"Oh there's more where that came from," she replied as she swept drool from the baby's mouth. "My husband's over there with Kiran."

They both looked over at the kitchen table and saw him sitting there watching Kiran crawl along the floor beside him. He waved, motioned towards Fayt, and winked at Cliff.

The blond said a short greeting and excitedly turned back to Natalia. "So y'guys are actually makin' a dinner the old fashioned way, huh? Great. I'm sick of replicator sheeat. Want some help cooking?"

Natalia and her husband glared at him with utter looks of horror, and the latter stood up and headed for where Cliff was standing. "ABSOLUTELY NOT! Remember what happened last time?!" she roared as her husband made an over-the-top gesture of something exploding to Fayt. "I'm just fine thank you. That's right honey, you usher them back into the living room for me."

----------------------------------------------------

A short while later, everyone headed to the living room table as a tune of screeches and high-pitched laughter echoed through the room. The kids were already sitting at their own little table beside the big one, doing what kids do of course. Leila was having a blast. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and in strolled a beautiful long haired woman and a tall, lean man wearing a computer visor over his eyes.

"**MIRAGE!**" Fayt and Cliff both shouted over the racket, spinning on the spot and going to greet her.

"Long time no see, Cliff," she stated warmly, looking the two over before embracing each in turn. "It's good to have you back — especially you Fayt, I hope Cliff's antics haven't driven you crazy yet."

The bluenette rolled his eyes and chuckled, truly glad to see someone he knew. "I can handle him just fine, don't you worry. But we miss having you on the ship…"

"CLIFF!" "LOGAN, SUP?!"

The blond did some weird secret handshake move with the man beside Mirage involving an elaborate twiddling of fingers. "Fayt, I wantcha to meet Logan, a good friend of mine. He used to live next door to me when we were little."

The man slipped his visor up over his forehead to get a better look at Fayt. He opened his mouth to speak but a gasp was the only sound to emerge. As he pointed emphatically at the bluenette, seemingly in awe, Lois's piercing voice drifted from across the room.

"MIRAGE, LOGAN! GOOD TO SEE YOU! NOW GET OVER HERE, YOUR DINNER'S GONNA GET COLD!... And take that silly thing off Logan, you technodork!"

"Ya, ya," he mumbled, finally shaking Fayt's hand before slipping the visor back on and heading inside.

"Wears that thing all the time," Cliff explained. "You don't wanna know what he looks at on there."

Fayt cocked his head in a stupefied fashion and soon found himself being dragged towards the table by Cliff. Mirage tagged along behind them, grinning triumphantly to herself in response to the amorous vibe she was sensing between them.

Everyone had finally gathered at the table and they all began digging into a feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, and carrots. The food lifted Fayt onto cloud nine...until he noticed that everybody was staring at him.

"So, Fayt," Lois had began, "Tell us a little about yourself…"

"...And what your intentions are with my son!" Savannah jokingly added, imitating a strict version of her mother's voice. Kiran clapped happily in her lap when he saw the reaction of everybody around him.

Cliff fumbled the platter he was holding and it crashed down onto the table, with the food amazingly still intact. Light-hearted laughter hung in the room. "This is why I try to avoid these things…" he whispered to Fayt who was once again blushingly furiously.

"Well, you probably heard all about my recent past on the news, considering I'm supposedly a hero of some sorts," he answered softly as the others nodded, not at all sensing the sarcasm in his voice. "I thought I'd be getting back to a more peaceful life of playing battle simulator games and not doing it in real life, but it looks like this new enemy is going to ruin that plan."

Logan, who was sitting to the bluenette's left, gave him an unexpected high-five. "Dude, I like you already! I totally wanna take you on sometime...in a combat simulator of course," he hastily added, fully aware of the bluenette's powers.

"So what's the best thing about Fayt?" Natalia asked next as she tried to get the airplane into her baby's mouth.

Finishing a big hunk of turkey, Cliff grinned and lay a strong arm over Fayt's shoulders. "Well, **IMHO**, I think…"

But before he could say anymore, the entire table erupted into hoots and hollers — Logan choked on his food and coughed while Mirage's eyes watered like mad as she tried to keep a gulp of juice she had just taken in her mouth.

Cliff stared naively around, shrugging. "What? WHAT? You know what that means? What's so funny?"

"Cliff, no one actually says that out loud y'know," Mirage lectured to him slowly.

"Well except for this kid," Han interrupted, pointing directly at Luke. "He does the same thing! Always with the 'LOL' out of nowhere!"

"See! SEE! I told you! It's all the rage now!" Cliff asserted, doing a thumbs up to Luke who shook his head and glanced at Fayt with laughter in his eyes. The blond suddenly yelped and rubbed the side of his leg. "OWW! What was that?"

Natalia's husband was the first to reply: "One of the kids is hiding under the table and she just zapped you with a lightning spell — they do this all the time," he explained. He tried calling her out, without any real determination in his voice, and she just ignored him.

"**HEY!**" Savannah suddenly shouted, pausing with one hand in the air and one over her mouth while she finished swallowing. "Remember that story mom told about the first time Cliff got hit by a thunder symbology when he was in kindergarten?"

Lois's eyes lit up like fireflies in the night. "Of course I do! You wanna hear it Fayt?"

"Yes, absolutely," he replied with bated breath, thrilled at the promise of having something to tease Cliff about in the future. The latter smacked his face into his palm and muttered 'Oh god, here we go'.

"WELL…Cliff was a naughty little boy in kindergarten, let me tell you. He got caught multiple times chasing the other kids in his class around the school yard at recess trying to **kiss** them!" A string of snickers circled the table. Fayt was picturing the image of a miniature Cliff running around with his lips puckered, arms outstretched. "Naturally, being the determined little guy that he is, he was successful in making out with half the class before he finally learned his lesson. Apparently, one of the boys managed to hit him with lightning magic and another girl knocked him down with her fist and…" She was having a hard time finishing the story from cracking up so much. "...And he came home that day with his hair completely frizzed up and standing on end like a massive out-of-control afro!"

Everyone was in hysterics, except Cliff of course (who was frowning and flaring his nostrils), and Fayt was pretty sure that the image of a five-year old Cliff with an afro would be seared into this brain forever.

"Horny bastard!" Logan declared as he wiped away the tears that had trickled out the bottom of his visor.

Natalia spoke next, wanting to add on the epilogue to the story. "Anyways, from that day on, Cliff was determined to take martial arts and become an elite fighter, so he could eventually get those two back, the same way they got him."

"And did you?" Fayt inquired, trying so hard to keep a straight face.

"Well I got the guy back in high school once I mastered the spell," Cliff admitted begrudgingly, not wanting to spur on this line of conversation. "But the girl moved to Klaus IV so I wasn't able to administer my revenge," he continued, clenching his fists. "Now that I think about it, she kinda looked like Sophia...so maybe I'll just punch her in the head when I see her again…"

Fayt gave a lopsided smile, thinking the idea was stupid and an itsy bit funny at the same time. Of course, if Cliff tried that now, he would have Albel to deal with — the bluenette still couldn't believe Sophia had decided to stay with him...

**BANG!**

The three kids plus Leila had been running around the dinner table in opposite directions (2 one way, 2 the other) as the adults were talking and had just smashed into each other behind Natalie and bounced backwards onto the floor on their backs from the spectacular head-on collision, sobbing noisily.

"Maybe you were the smartest one by not having any kids," Natalia sighed to Cliff as her husband, Luke, and Lois went to console the crying children. While all this was happening, Cliff had already come up with a delightfully evil way to get Fayt back for spurring on his mom's embarrassing story...

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: yay! they're finally together. way to go bringing the blue-haired cutie to see your family so soon Cliff. he already has enough to worry about :D don't you just love family get togethers?)


	10. Chapter 10: Bad News Always Comes in 3's

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke

Rating: PG

Summary: Cliff, come on. Fayt didn't really egg your mom on that much to get her to tell that embarassing story. What are you going to do to him to get him back? After that episode, the shit hits the fan for the Dual Desire crew. As they ponder over their futures, Cliff, Fayt, Logan, and Mirage have a special laid-back kinda moment taking in the wonders of Klaus.

Shoutouts: Zelavril - I'm so glad u like the intro to chappy 9. Took alot of time to perfect. The story of the rain really works well with the renewal of Fayt & Cliff's relationship. I actually tried to describe what I heard one day last spring in the woods near my house where i found this secluded pond with millions of water drops falling into it from the trees. It was mesmerizing. I just stood there listening and then someone walked by on the trail and probably thought i was crazy standing on a log in the water with my dog. haha. i liked the contrast of halos & devil's horns on the lake in my story. As for Cliff eating the fruit, the idea was he had moved on so it didn't need to be there anymore. A new one of him & Fayt was forming :) Spectralwings - omg i laughed so hard at the beginning of your ch 9 review! btw, Cliff's friend's name is _Logan_ :D but ya, some characters i don't describe very much so the reader can picture them how they want. if he's in 80's clothes it's all good! I'm SO excited to see your drawing!!! hahah seductive look. i guess that would fit in with A Love on the Sidelines ;) i dunno anything about scanning so i'm no help there :D lol yellow sky for Klaus, i can see that seeing as they all have blond hair

**Chapter 10:**

After bruises were kissed all better and Natalie's husband had put on a show for the kids on the holovision, the adults moved onto dessert and the interrogation of Fayt Leingod continued.

"So Fayt..." Lois had started again, pausing to point with her fork at the blackberry peach pie she was eating and nodding approvingly to Savannah.

Just as the bluenette was bracing for another prying question, he felt something brush ever so lightly over his right thigh and it made him jump slightly from surprise. Peering downwards out of the corner of his eyes, Fayt saw Cliff's left hand slowly making its way across his thigh and towards his crotch! No one else could see this motion as the table cloth was doing a good job concealing it.

"_Cliff!_" Fayt hissed under his breath, trying to bat the blond's hand away with his own, all the while pretending nothing was happening by forcing a smile at Lois, who was about to continue her sentence. The Klausian sex god didn't acknowledge Fayt as he persisted in reaching closer to the bluenette's crotch while munching away at his pie.

Lois swallowed and cleared her throat, her expression turning more serious. "...What does it feel like not knowing whether your mother is alive or not and not even having the time to go look for her with these Killers on your tail?"

By now, to Fayt's horror, Cliff was secretly massaging the bluenette's crotch with his errant hand — and even worse, it was starting to feel warm and wonderfully pleasurable down there. Fayt gasped fervidly and then held his breath, his eyes briefly rolling up in their sockets as he gripped tightly onto the sides of his chair with both hands. The colour drained out of his face when he realized that everyone was looking at him now, partially because they were waiting for his response to Lois's question, and partially because he was acting quite strangely.

Cliff's masterful hands were kneading over Fayt's hard-on as the latter opened his mouth to speak breathily, his brain now complete mush and his tongue caught within the bite of his teeth. _She wants to know how it feels… _"It fee… it feels…**SOOO GOOD**."

Mouths plummeted all around him like dominos and eyebrows scrunched up like elastic bands as the Fittir family — plus Han and Luke — stared at him in total disbelief, all of them pretty sure that was the last thing they expected him to say. Except for Cliff of course. He was sitting there silently, a dumb grin plastered across his face, his ocean eyes bubbling with lurid laughter.

It took a few seconds for Fayt to register what he had said aloud; and when he did, his eyes immediately widened to the size of peacock-green mangoes and they flitted madly back and forth across the table as he tried to come up with a good explanation for his bewildering response. Rose colours were blossoming in the garden of embarrassment on his face, replacing the wraithlike whiteness of before. Then he suddenly felt the worst possible sensation imaginable...something was building down below...that familiar and intoxicating feeling of sexual climax...he was starting to panic…

Until he forced himself to focus, placed his hand on Cliff's, and mumbled 'Scintilla flame!' to no one in particular. The palm of his sun-kissed hand grew hot with a sorcerous pyre and the blond suddenly cried "OWWW!" and jolted his hand away from Fayt and into his whimpering mouth, where he tried to cool it with saliva from his tongue.

Fayt exhaled in relishing relief and continued breathing deeply to calm his overexcited body. In a desperate bid, he imagined Sophia buck-naked and the blood quickly left his member — she was like a sister to him after all (eww grossness). Then he thought of Albel touching her in an impassioned fashion, like he could be at this very moment, and any iota of horniness withered up and died within him.

"Fayt, are you okay? Your face is a little green — maybe you're getting sick," Savannah finally asked, breaking the awkward silence.

The bluenette glared at Cliff with sharp-edged emerald eyes of iniquity and the grin on the blond's face quickly became ephemeral in style.

"Umm…I'm sorry, I misunderstood the question," Fayt began in an earnest tone, bullshitting his way out of this predicament. "I was saying that it feels good to know that no one has found her yet...because...that means…(_what does that mean? _he desperately pondered)...**that there is a good chance she is still alive!**" he finished triumphantly, almost wanting to throw a hand up in the air for navigating his way out of this one.

Everyone else was nodding their heads and Lois replied: "Yes Fayt, that is a positive way to think about things." Then she turned to Cliff. "I'm impressed with him, I've got to say. Then again, I've been impressed with him ever since I first heard his name on the news." She paused and squinted one eye. "Cliffairy! Take your hand out of your mouth, we're eating here!"

"...What's that noise?" Luke suddenly inquired as a faint ringing sound drifted into the room. Cliff slowly lowered his stinging hand to his side and he caught sight of Mirage shaking her head at him.

"Oh! It's the celephone," (aka celestial phone) Lois chirped while turning her head to the side. "Please excuse me a moment. It wouldn't ring unless it was really important." She disappeared into an adjoining room.

The jingle of utensils against dessert plates was the only noise for the next few moments while the table experienced another short lull in conversation.

Han decided it was a good time to bring up something he'd been wondering about. "Maybe I missed something here, but where is Cliff's dad exactly?"

Eyes darted this way and that around the table, each set hoping they wouldn't have to be the one to answer that question. Cliff appeared to be ignoring the inquiry since he was playing around with the communicator on his wrist. Natalia looked like she was about to speak up when Fayt started shaking his head violently at both her and Han as the sound of Lois's footsteps returned to the room.

Her usually bright and cheery demeanor had been replaced by a heavy, sober look — even her shoulders were drooping as she wandered back to her seat at the table. It appeared as if she had been repeatedly running her hands through her hair as her flawless curls were now frizzy and disordered.

Cliff felt a sudden jab in his stomach so he sat up ruler straight since his mother's distressed look was reminding him of painful memories from long ago. "What is it, ma?"

"I've got **bad news** everyone," she began ominously, casually scratching the curve of her nose. "That was President Widjaja (of Klaus III). He just received intelligence from the Sol System and wanted to pass it on to you two without delay." _Oh crap_, Fayt and Cliff both thought at the same time before Lois continued in almost a whisper. "They've got Maria Traydor."

"WHADDAYA MEAN THEY'VE GOT MARIA?!" Cliff bellowed with an unexpected fatherly passion that had arisen from deep within.

"I'm sorry to say that the Killers have most recently been invading Saturn's moons one by one and they found her on Titan and have taken her hostage. Widjaja says this is a huge blow to our side and that he is sure they will try to force her to use her powers to their advantage."

_Oh no_, Fayt pondered, smothering his face in his hand. _She was hiding on Titan? I figured she would have chosen somewhere more remote to reduce the chance of people finding her…she'll hold out though, she's strong..._

"Wait, there's more," Lois declared as the murmuring around the table died down. "As much as we don't like the Sol System — no offense to you, Fayt ('None taken') — these events with the Killers will not be just contained to that sector. Keeping that in mind, Widjaja told me that a world war has begun on Mars, a rebellion led by Ophelia against the Killers' rule. It doesn't look too good right now, what with the enemy's indestructible armour."

"**NOOO!**" the bluenette shouted impetuously, banging a fist on the table and rattling his fork off his plate. His next sentence tumbled from his tongue as his voice rose and fell: "If this goes on for any length of time the whole planet is going to be left in ruins...they need our help but we don't have any answers yet...and we haven't even had a chance to recover from Earth's obliteration…"

Sympathetic sighs surrounded Fayt and he suddenly wished he hadn't eaten so much.

"Widjaja is still on the line," Lois soon added with a flick of her finger. "He wants to discuss all of this with you so he can keep the other star systems updated."

"Okay." As Fayt stood up from his seat, Cliff lay a reassuring hand on his own. In his mind, the bluenette had already forgiven him for the crotch incident; he needed Cliff now more than ever and silly stuff like that couldn't come in the way.

Fayt's communicator started beeping as he made his way to the other room.

"Who do you think that is now?" the bluenette heard Logan say behind him.

Cliff's reply made his head throb. "Well y'know what they say, bad things come in threes right?"

----------------------------------------------------

A million different things were running through Fayt's mind as he sat on the toilet. His stomach wasn't feeling so good anymore, especially after the triple whammy it had just received. It didn't help that Leila kept sporadically scampering over from the holovision to knock on the door to tell him to hurry up. What was he going to do first? So many things needed to be dealt with and everyone was looking to him to solve all their problems. _But I'm just barely holding myself together, how can I even begin to help anyone else when I don't even know who __**I**__ am anymore?_ The knowledge of his suicide attempt, as described by Cliff, was eating away at his psyche like parasites on rank meat. Lately he'd felt as if he were moving in and out of reality, the numbness taking hold and releasing with increasing intensity.

His good friend was now a prisoner. She had been the one who had relentlessly pursued the truth over the Federation's secret symbological weapon experiments. She had revealed to him who he really was and they shared a special bond through the commonalities of their pasts.

And human civilization — his people — were being threatened, once again. The Sol System would always feel like home, even if he didn't live there anymore. It had such an important place in the history of the universe and with the Aldian Empire vanquished, so much promise for a peaceful future. Until now.

A gentle rap at the door. "Fayt?" came Luke's anxious voice. "Are you okay?"

"Ya ya, just a bit of a stomachache. Can you show Leila where the other bathroom is? She doesn't believe me."

"I'm on it."

Truthfully, he was starting to feel a bit better now. Going number two tends to do that. After using a respectable amount of toilet paper, he washed up and made sure to leave the fan on. As he peered down the hallway to his left, he saw Cliff, Logan, and Mirage sitting out on the balcony enjoying the sunset. He walked away from the children's cries in the living room and stepped out into the crisp evening air.

Fayt saw now that Lois's house was in a great location, right on the edge of Keremeos with a grand view of the rainforest beyond. Then again, for Klausians, 'house' was analogous to 'apartment' since they all lived in towering buildings in the cities (Lois on the 99th floor of hers) as one could not own land and have one's own yard on Klaus. This was tied to their tradition of not allowing the nurturing of natural plants in artificial landscapes.

The bluenette watched the sun spill orange splendor across the tops of the trees far below as a few passing starships lay silhouetted against the florid sky. The familiar smell of smoldering pot wafted into his nose and he noticed Logan was smoking said substance as he lay relaxed in a hammock nearby. Mirage and Cliff were sitting in deck chairs sipping a glass of Autumn Gold.

"Heya kid. So whaddaya think of the family?" Cliff asked cordially, trying to keep the conversation light — even if he knew it would inevitably turn dark like the encroaching night.

There was an empty chair waiting for him but Fayt decided against it. Instead he marched tiredly over to Cliff and sat right on top of him, the latter letting out a loud 'oofph' in response. Mirage chuckled and Logan took another puff of his joint. The latter's visor was resting on a table beside him.

"They're all great, really," Fayt replied as Cliff affectionately wrapped his arms around the bluenette's stomach. "They're funny and friendly, even if it gets a bit hectic with the kids and all."

"I'm with ya there," Logan remarked, rolling on his side in the hammock to face them.

The bluenette grinned and turned his head to look at Cliff. "I hope you don't mind," he muttered rather matter-of-factly while reaching for the blond's full glass and gulping down the wine in one swig.

"No, not at all," Cliff snickered, raising one hand to first massage Fayt's tense neck and then play with his azure locks. He ran his fingers through his sweetie's hair in waves, letting the sea spray of its heavenly softness caress his slightly chapped skin.

The Earthling let out a loud and lengthy sigh. "Wow, I needed that after all the shitty news I've been given tonight."

"Hmm...I don't think I've ever heard you swear before, Fayt," Mirage teased as she crossed her legs. She reached for the bottle of wine and refilled Cliff & Fayt's glass. The last few rays of rubicund-red radiance from the swollen sun sparkled and shimmered across her gorgeous blonde hair. "I'm afraid to ask who contacted you on your communicator."

"Good Mirage, don't then; can't you just let him rest a bit?" Logan wondered aloud before Fayt could respond. "It's always 'what's next' isn't it? This is the first time tonight I've actually seen him looking genuinely happy and relaxed." Indeed, the bluenette was now leaning back onto Cliff's chest, his eyes getting droopy from the latter's rhythmic breathing. Cliff sure knew how to use those hands for maximum effect, as he was rubbing them softly over Fayt's stomach in a circular motion. "To living in the moment, huh Fayt?"

"Ya, to the moment." He and Logan knocked glasses and then Mirage joined in.

For about fifteen minutes or so, all was quiet out on the balcony apart from the low hum of far-off flying cars and the herky-jerky twitter and tweet of tropical birds in the forest canopy below. The evanescence of the sun brought clarity to Fayt's mind, untangling the worries within.

"Dr. Zoda's in trouble," he finally announced, turning to face the others, eyes now fully open.

"Oh you mean the famous scientist from Midgard?" Mirage questioned quietly.

"Ya, he's the guy analyzing Leila's creation scan and the data from the Killer's planet," Cliff reminded her. "What's the scoop on him Fayt?"

The bluenette tilted his head upwards to look at his boyfriend. "Ally told me that someone gave the Killers intelligence that I was on Midgard and also gave them the coordinates for the planet, so now they are apparently sending asteroid ships for a full-on invasion. Since communication and transportation to the Sol System is cut-off, there are accusations that only those high up in the government could have tipped the Killers off. All fingers are pointing to Dr. Zoda since he has supposedly been in contact with his brother, who is also a scientist, on Mars."

Fayt could feel Cliff's heartbeat picking up as it pounded against his back. "**That's ridiculous!** He was probably just keepin' updated on what's going on there and exchangin' information that will be key to our resistance. He seems pretty damn smart to me, his brother's most likely in a safe area of Mars."

"Ya, I bet you're right," Fayt replied. "But Ally says people are starting to panic about the imminent attack and they need someone to blame. She thinks she can keep Zoda safe for a while, despite the fact that Parliament is clamouring for his head. He's forbidden to communicate with anyone though. Hehe, Ally also said that although Midgardians may have a laid-back lifestyle, they've got 'one hell' of a planetary defense system in place. But if the Killers have stolen Mars' technology they may have greatly improved their ships…"

"We've gotta go sort things out, pronto!"

"Wait a second Cliff," Mirage interrupted. "You're forgetting about Maria. And what are you going to do now that you won't be able to find out the results from Leila's scan?"

"Shit," was all Cliff uttered in response. "Gimme some more wine, Fayt. It helps me think."

"You need help," Logan suddenly muttured dreamily, his eyes rather bloodshot. They all turned to stare at him, Fayt holding the wine glass to his lips after Cliff had had a sip. The latter wondered if Logan was referring to him. "Dude, you totally need to get the group back together."

"What do you mean?" Fayt inquired cluelessly.

"The group, duh! The famous seven who vanquished the creator himself! Your team...?! The Ballsy Bunch as I like to call them! Once you rescue Maria you will all be united and you can figure it all out together!"

"That actually sounds like a really good idea," Mirage reasoned, flipping her hair around to look at Cliff.

"Yeah...YEAH! Fuckin' awesome Logan, my man! Though I think I like the name The Spunky Seven better. Whaddaya think F?"

_Umm, F? ...I think we're overdoing the nicknames. _Smiling, the Earthling placed his hands over Cliff's on his stomach. The hair on the back of his head was now sticking outwards in a messy fashion from the blond's stroking. "I do miss them a lot. We worked really well together didn't we? We always found a way through whatever problems we stumbled upon. This is too big for just you, me, Luke, and Han anymore. ...I can see the headline now: The Lionhearted League Reunited. So Mirage, are you in?"

She immediately gave him a gigantic wink. "When are we leaving, capt'n?"

**SWEET! TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: I have to admit, I adore this chapter. Things are coming together. I sure took long enough to update :D I can just vividly imagine the four of them at the end chilling out on the balcony, way high up, looking over the endless rainforest surrounding Keremeos, the sun setting before them and airships passing by. I kept the descriptions pretty simple, but I think they get a lot across. What a triple whammy for Fayt and Cliff huh? But if that means REUNION next chapter, I'm all for it!)


	11. Chapter 11: The Calm Before the Storm

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke

Rating: PG

Summary: Before the trip to Elicoor II to reunite with Albel, Sophia, & Nel, Fayt and Cliff finally have a chance to spend some quality time together, and F shares something very personal. We catch up with Han & Luke on the Saviour, learning a few lessons from one another. THEN...they arrive at Elicoor and it's off to search for Albel & Sophia, but they're in an odd place...someplace Cliff hates, but it also hates him...

Shoutouts: Zelavril - OMG you're alive! I was starting to get worried ;D Wow you really took a dive with that biking accident. How exactly are you nearly finished your story chapters if you can't type!? Haha i have a friend who likes to poke ppl, but i think she's learned her lesson ;) Tell your friend thank you for updating your profile. SpectralWings - AHAHA! your thing about Luke dancing was HILARIOUS. i didn't know that Cliffairy is connected to Pokemon, but whatever! OMG u got the Adray ending too! ARG i was so angry when i got it! i wasn't even nice to him! i wanted Cliff! SapphireSunrise - yay you didn't disappear to some remote planet like Vanguard! Thank you very much for the praise & i'm so glad you like this story. Don't forget to drop in and review once in a while, reviews are my fuel :D

**Chapter 11:**

"What about you Logan?" was the question Fayt posed to Cliff's childhood friend.

Logan hoisted himself to a sitting position in the hammock and snuffed out his joint on the table. Brushing his shoulder-length dark blond (and very straight) hair out of his face, he reached for his cherished visor. "Nah, don't worry about me. I don't like getting caught up in all this stuff. I've gotta stay here and take care of my dojo — you know how it is, lots of people depending on me."

"You'll never convince him to come," Cliff declared as he tried to shift Fayt onto his other leg since he was starting to go numb. "Believe me, I tried back in the day when Quark was on the upswing. Anyways, if he came along, he'd probably just get us all high from that damn peccadillo of his." The blond paused and imagined everyone trying to battle an enemy while stumbling all over the place from inhaling the plume of marijuana smoke sitting in the air. _Actually, more like everyone would be lounging about laughing at every little thing while we got ripped to pieces..._

Logan smacked Cliff upside the back of his head as he walked past him, heading inside with an eye-rolling Mirage.

"HEY! You're gonna pay for that! **Slacker!**"

Cliff half-heartedly tried to whack him back but Logan was already stepping through the doorway, and he briefly turned around to give a spirited gesture with his middle finger.

"That lil' fucker…" the blond mumbled with a giant grin filling his face.

"Cliff, let's go lie in the hammock," Fayt stated simply once they were alone.

By now night had fallen and a few stars were beginning to twinkle here and there in the splendid stygian sky. The planet's twin moons had already risen hand-in-hand far off in the west and they painted a surreal silver luster across the balcony on which the couple was lazing. A tiny taste of evening chill permeated the air, but it wasn't enough to significantly lower the humid tropical temperature or ruin the evening's crepuscular charm.

"I'm hot," the Klausian announced surely while he stood up and walked over to the hammock.

Fayt smirked. "Umm, I know...that is common knowledge...your point exactly??"

The large one folded his arms. "Ha ha, good one joker! I didn't mean it that way, I'm not **that **vain am I?"

Fayt decided against answering that question. Best to leave his boyfriend's mind at ease.

"Watch out, I'm gonna squish ya!" Cliff warned as he unzipped his tight black shirt and tossed it onto a chair. Seeing the blond half-naked always generated enough fuel to send dirty but joyful thoughts racing in circles through the bluenette's mind. The former eased himself into the hammock beside Fayt, who tried his best to move over a bit. The Earthling ended up having to lie with his head on Cliff's shoulder in order to get comfortable.

"I'm too lazy to go inside and sleep. Can we just stay out here and doze in the hammock?"

Cliff looked down into deep green eyes laced with an uncertainty he wanted to make disappear, just like that, in any way he could. "Sure, why not eh? It's so nice out here tonight and I'm sure it'll be quieter than inside. I'm too tired to do anythin' too."

"You? Too tired? Really?" Fayt inquired in a teasing tone. "That's a first. So I guess you're too tired even for…well, you know…"

He placed a hand on Cliff's warm stomach and ran it across his smoothly defined abs, stopping only when his hand was reaching under the other's belt.

Cliff let out a wide yawn and an imperceptible wink. "Yup, definitely too tired for that."

"Oh," the bluenette uttered disappointedly, slipping his hand away. Even though they were only joking about the whole thing, he couldn't help but feel let down. _Whatever_, he pondered. _This isn't exactly the best place to have our first lovemaking session after officially becoming a couple. It needs to be more special…like we'll ever have the time for that though..._

Everything went quiet for a few moments and Fayt closed his heavy eyes. When he forced them open again, he noticed the blond was still staring at him, an inquisitive look tracing the length of his chiselled face. Fayt noticed a tiny bit of peach fuzz forming on his companion's chin and he had an impulsive urge to touch it. Tilting his own face upwards, he brushed his cheeks against Cliff's jaw line and let the wonderful scratchiness tickle his skin.

"I know, I know…" he finally said. "You're wondering if I'm okay right?"

"Mmm, maybe," the Klausian replied lightheartedly, sweeping the bluenette's bangs to one side. "Y'know I can't help it, kid."

Fayt laughed through his nose, which usually isn't a pretty sound. "I don't know if I can do this anymore, Cliff," he began as anxious creases sullied his flawless forehead. "It's too much, too soon. I'm tired of being everyone's hero." His eyes suddenly lit up like a beam of submerged sunlight through grass-green seaweed. "Let's just run away...let's disappear and start a new life somewhere faraway where no one can find us, where it's just the two of us. We'll leave this mess behind…live in a castle somewhere, with gardens, the ocean nearby, and a battle simulator…"

"...I can walk around naked all day and finally take up painting...don't tell anyone this but I've always wanted to paint some of the places I've come across. I've told ya how Mirage said I've got a keen sense of aesthetics right? I'm an impressionist, an artiste of the emotions, that's what I am," Cliff haughtily and humourously explained, continuing Fayt's utopian dream with some ideas of his own. "It sounds great Fayt, but no, we can't," the blond said sadly, quickly shaking those idyllic thoughts from his mind. "We were the ones who started it all, y'know. We can't just hide from our problems, eventually they'll come and find us no matter where we go. Believe me, I know. Being neutral to these things doesn't protect ya from the fallout of other people's wars...just look at Klaus in the Federation-Aldian conflict…"

"Ya, you're right," Fayt crooned in defeat. "This'll probably sound stupid, but I used to have this dream of how things would be after I realized I was gay." Hesitating for a second, he rolled onto his side, facing his love, and felt Cliff's reassuring hand resting on his back as he settled into the cozy nook under the blond's shoulder. "My saviour would be tall, strong, and funny, with big elysian eyes to take my breath away and send my heart racing every time I gazed into them. He would whisk me away from the boredom of my life and studies back home and we would travel the galaxy, always eager to find out what new adventure or wondrous world lay waiting for us around the corner. We wouldn't be like everyone else; we would be unconventional, we would be **free**. We would live intensely for the moment, every moment, as if it was our last. And one day we would settle down in some beautiful place we'd discovered along the way, and I would wake up next to him every morning, feeling as if I were truly in heaven…" The Earthling's voice trailed off and he stared out towards the shimmering stars.

"That's a magnificent dream, Fayt...a little out there, but definitely something worth fightin' for, eh? You really are one in a million aren't cha, kid?" Cliff complemented as he gently kissed the bluenette on the head. "That's why everyone looks up to you, for inspiration. And that's why I love you. Simple as that."

Fayt's idealism was infectious. Being around him made the Klausian feel young again, like everything in the universe was suddenly within his grasp. With every day passed at his side, each shard of Cliff's shattered childhood was slowly being pieced back together, mended, and healed like no Cure spell could ever manage.

"If y'ever need to talk, I'm here for ya, 'kay? Don't try to keep it all in anymore...and maybe...if we work through things together...one day you'll find yourself living that dream of yours. Y'never know."

The blond grinned and guided Fayt's lips towards his own. As his eyes drifted closed, his other senses compensated by heightening in sensitivity. Their mouths soon met and every worry, every thought, everything else melted away in the heat and passion of the enthralling kiss. The tender touch was hot like sizzling fire, yet cool and sensationally soft like a seraph. A light and pleasing scent of lingering marijuana lounged in their noses and the sound of lip dancing against lip saturated the air. Cliff was cupping the back of Fayt's head while the latter stroked his hand along the length of the other's neck and down to his chest. Soon the tongues joined in the performance and the taste of white wine bubbled and swirled between them. As their mouths opened and closed in sweet surrender, never before had either felt so in love.

_Closed off from love  
I didn't need the pain  
Once or twice was enough  
And it was all in vain  
Time starts to pass  
Before you know it you're frozen _

_But something happened  
For the very first time with you  
My heart melts into the ground  
Found something true  
And everyone's looking round  
Thinking I'm going crazy _

_But I don't care what they say  
I'm in love with you..._

_- Song by Leona Lewis 'Bleeding Love'_

--

"**Watch out!**"

Han reacted immediately to Luke's cry and swiftly tilted his upper body to one side to avoid a punch from an enemy humanoid. The two of them were in the Saviour's battle simulator, killing time on the trip from Klaus to Elicoor II where Cliff, Fayt, and Mirage were planning to visit Nel, Albel, & Sophia for the first time since they had defeated Luther together. The goodbye to Cliff's family was rather rushed that morning as the crew was itching to leave so they could help poor Maria. They had had a hard time convincing Leila to come with them — she had to be literally dragged out of the place since she wanted to stay and play with Cliff's nieces and nephews.

Han watched as Luke easily took out the hologram in front of him with a well-aimed blow to the face. The fiend stumbled backwards a few feet and then collapsed to the ground and disappeared.

"Hey kid! What's your secret, huh? And why do we have to fight them without our weapons?" Han lamented as he attempted a spirited kick at the enemy he was facing. The bad guy effortlessly maneuvered out of the way.

Luke crossed his arms in his white shirt and relaxed with one foot forward. "Cliff suggested we try our hand at fist-to-fist fighting remember? Who knows, if we somehow lost our weapon in battle you wouldn't be complaining anymore would you?"

"Well, I guess not," Han dolefully admitted, eyeing the simulation in front of him and planning his next move. "But if someone knocked your lightsaber away, couldn't you just get it to fly back with the force?" he wondered aloud, holding one of his hands like it was gun. "Besides, I'm a blaster-man through and through. Always have, always been."

Luke snickered and ran his fingers through his wavy hair at the back. "Never would have guessed," he retorted with a grin. "Han, you've got to try to predict what motion the enemy is going to take next and be ready to block it or jump out of the way. The best time to get your hit in is when they are recovering from missing you."

"PREDICT?" Han bellowed indignantly. "I'm not a Jedi! I can't do mind tricks on them!"

"I admit, that does help, but it is not necessary. There...look at your opponent. Its eyes keep darting downwards, like it's readying to hit you somewhere down low. Its knuckles are wiggling restlessly so I think it's going to use its fist and not its foot. Looks like it's gonna be a harsh one, I'd be careful if I were you."

Han swept one hand along the collar of his shirt. "Hey...**it's me**! Don't worry, I've got everything under control." He noticed that his foe was starting to kneel down, which perplexed him, but presented him with the opportunity for an effective knockout kick. Just as he was about to swing his leg, the humanoid hologram punched him hard...in the crotch.

"AAAOOOWWW!" he roared, instantly falling to the floor and curling up in a ball as he cupped his precious jewels. "MY BALLS!"

"Computer, pause program," Luke commanded as he knelt down to survey the damage, choking back laughter. "Uhhh, good try?" he offered.

"Shut up! I was too slow, I know. Let's see here," he replied, feeling up his nuts. "One, two...**three? **— no wait...**two** — yup, everything's intact." He glared at the frozen humanoid. "Bastard."

"Hmm, maybe the safety's not working properly," Luke suggested, glancing towards the control panel near the exit doors. "We sure don't have anything like this back on the Alliance ships."

Han placed one hand on his knee, stood up, and straightened his black vest. "Whatever, let's just keep going." He restarted the battle training program and the couple returned to their fighting stance as two new enemies appeared. As the punches started flying, Han kept glancing over at Luke whenever it was safe, admiring his glowing skin and youthful good-looks.

"Have I ever told you…" he began with a glint in his eye and raised eyebrows "...that you look hot when you're fighting?"

Before the Jedi could respond, the foe in front of Han unexpectedly contributed its own opinion. "He's not that attractive...and neither are you. I don't know what he sees in you."

Both men stood momentarily still with their jaws dropped, shell-shocked at the commentary they were receiving from a hologram. "TAKE THAT BACK!" Han snapped, streaks of vermillion rage erupting upwards across the skin on his neck and face. His opponent shook its head. "Wrong answer!" he shouted, and without wasting a nanosecond he pummeled the humanoid across the cheek and it went flying across the room before landing with a thud on the floor.

"So it seems you just need the right motivation, Han," Luke teased before getting a modest punch in the stomach from his own enemy, who took advantage of the Jedi's lapse in concentration.

Solo didn't respond. He was thinking about what the hologram had said, about what Luke saw in him. "Luke, what did you think of me when we first met?" he asked, frowning concertedly.

"Well, if you really wanna know," he began in-between punches, "I thought you were an arrogant jerk; not to mention a liar and a rip-off artist." At this Han gave his classic crooked smile and shrugged nonchalantly. Skywalker continued, reminiscing back on the changing faces of their friendship: "But I guess after we rescued Leia from the Death Star together, I really started to respect you and I began to see the heroic person that was hidden underneath that egotistical shell. Then you asked me to come with you when you were leaving before the big battle, and even though I was angry that you were running, I had never felt wanted like that before — all my aunt and uncle wanted me for was to help harvest the crops on Tatooine." He paused and ducked to avoid getting hit. "But you came back...and that's when things changed. I couldn't imagine life without you...without my clever, funny, dependable, handsome...arrogant jerk."

Luke stood silently for a moment, deep in thought, and his opponent took the opportunity to knock his legs out from underneath him.

"End program," Han instructed, beaming down at the younger man unceremoniously sprawled out on the floor. The remaining hologram vanished. "And after I came back and we blew that thing to smithereens, we had that weird marriage ceremony…"

Skywalker laughed heartily and shook his bangs out of his eyes, stroking a tired hand the length of his sandy blond locks. "It **was** like that wasn't it!? You and me coming up the aisle...Leia as the officiator...and Artoo, Threepio, and Chewbacca as our best men. I admit, I wanted to kiss you that day…"

"HA! What a scene that would've been," Han responded brightly as he offered the other a hand. "It's gonna be interesting when we get back there…"

Luke interjected to correct him: "Ya, **if **we get back there..."

--

Fayt and Cliff, along with Han and Luke, materialized in a bright blue swirl of light into a place on Elicoor that they particularly abhorred. They couldn't see a thing. As their eyes gradually adjusted to the choking darkness surrounding them, Cliff mentally patted himself on the back for demanding that Leila stay on the ship under Mirage's supervision while they look for Albel and Sophia. To Fayt and Cliff's dismay, the Saviour's scanners had picked up the signatures of their friends deep within the labyrinthine Kirlsa Mines. What they were doing in that place boggled the mind.

"Ugh, it feels like bugs are crawling all over me," Han complained in a deep voice as the sound of his itching cut like sharpened nails through the cold, damp air. "I'll never get used to the sensation from this transporting thing."

Cliff was the first to get used to the lighting and he soon spotted rusty old railway tracks beside his feet. Unsavory memories of trying to find a way out of the caverns using a rail cart pulled by bizarre animals called 'Haulers' flooded back to him and he sighed solemnly. The ugly stone walls of the mines came into view, water dribbling down the creases of the jagged grey rock.

"UH! A gigantic drop of water just landed in the middle of my head!" Luke cried while trying to stumble forward out of the way.

"Don't worry, it only gets worse," Cliff proclaimed with an ominous tone. "We're gonna need some light unless we wanna get ambushed," he continued as he read over the data on his quad scanner.

"I don't have that rock we used before," Fayt began, "but I think I can solve our problem." He held out his right hand, palm side up, and summoned a continuous fire spell. Small tangerine shades of flame with an orb-shaped base burst into life in his palm and brightened up the corridor. "I'm not going to be able to use my sword though if this is our main light source."

"S'okay," the blond replied. "You're becoming quite the sorcerer anyways. That was one pretty sweet spell you used to help us escape from the Pangalactic Congress on Mars."

Luke slipped his lightsaber from its hilt and extended it. Its verdigris gleam extended their line of sight a little farther. "That probably helps a bit. Which way are we heading?"

Cliff began walking west down the corridor and the others followed. "Why do they always have to make things so difficult," he mumbled to himself under his breath.

After a few minutes of trudging along, a rumbling roar echoed from far behind them and then all was silent again. Fayt moved up to walk beside Cliff. "That sounded like a dragon."

"Uh huh," the blond replied mindlessly as he stared at his scanner. "I've got everythin' under control, I don't think we need to wor-"

**THWAK!**

Fayt watched in what seemed like slow motion as Cliff's hands suddenly went flying out in front of him — launching his quad scanner into the air — before he went crashing to the ground, finishing with an impressive face-plant into the damp dirt. "GREAT, JUST SHITACULAR!" he roared after the fact, pointing at his companions. "Don't even think of saying anything!"

The others noticed, with a hint of hilarity, that he had just tripped on the remains of a mine cart and tumbled straight forwards onto the ground. Fayt had to expend much energy in order to refrain himself from saying it was the blond's own fault since he should have been watching where he was going. He tried something more civil: "Umm, are you okay...macho man?"

By now Luke and Han had turned away from the scene with their hands over their mouths, unsuccessfully trying to keep their snickers subdued.

Fayt helped Cliff up and assisted in brushing the dirt off his shirt and off his bulky arms. Mr. Accident-Prone tried his best to clear up his face, revealing a few cuts underneath. "Ya, just fine kid. Not."

The bluenette cast a Healing spell and the incantation washed over Cliff and cleaned up his cuts. Luke held out his spare hand and the Klausian's scanner came floating through the air towards him, then he gave it back to its owner.

Han couldn't help himself. "Smooth moves, hotshot," he quipped, dragging out the words. "Way to impress _the ladies_." At this he winked at Fayt and gave a playful thumbs up. The bluenette did not look amused.

Suddenly, they heard voices up ahead. Familiar voices, for sure.

"Let's go!" Fayt cried, grabbing Cliff's hand and dragging him along. "You might want to watch where you're stepping too, just a thought…"

As the foursome ran into an area that opened up and went past a corridor that intersected with theirs, Luke let out a shout. "LOOK OUT!"

Fayt and Cliff skidded to a halt and turned to their left. An abnormally gigantic black bat was flying straight for them with beady red eyes, razor fangs, and massive claws ready for the strike. They had no time to react. Luckily, at the last second, the creature suddenly stopped in mid-flight — like it had hit an invisible barricade — and went flying towards the nearest wall, smacking hard into it. A crimson beam from Han's blaster connected with the fiend with a loud bang and it dropped to the ground, motionless.

Fayt went over to examine the creature, which he figured had a wing span of about three metres. "Thanks you guys," he finally said, turning to Han and Luke.

"What's that noise?!" Han abruptly barked as he heard a thundering thumping sound coming towards them from where the voices were.

"Oh no. Looks like we've attracted whatever Albel and Sophia are fighting up ahead…" Cliff answered, looking at his quad again. "Everyone ready!? Here it comes! Whatever you do Fayt, don't let that fire go out or we'll be dead in the water!"

Whatever was coming stopped just outside their halo of illumination, ostensibly deciding how to use the lack of light to its advantage. Behind it, they heard the distinctive shriek of Albel's voice: "GET BACK HERE MAGGOT, I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU YET!"

**OH 'BEL! WE MISSED YOU! TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: wow, i meant to get to the reunion in this chapter but things came up! apparently the characters wanted some more development first. Fayt's desires are hard to ignore. Isn't that right Cliff? haha. Plus i needed more HanxLuke. Han & Cliff are so funny.)


	12. Chapter 12: Nox's Pain in the Ass

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke, tiny bit of AlbelxSophia & NelxClair

Rating: PG

Summary: The seemingly simple task of finding Albel and Sophia on Elicoor somehow turns into a very dangerous situation in the Kirlsa Mines. Back on the peaceful ship, Mirage ponders over her life at the moment, until she goes to check up on Leila. Then it's over to Peterny to find Nel and ask her to join the cause to fight the Killers and rescue Maria...

Shoutouts: Zelavril - I miss hearing from you! Hurry up and get better! Don't do anything silly like Cliff and go strain it before it can heal. I hope you like how the story's going. Spectralwings - Stupid school, I agree, it's too demanding. Where do you work? Fayt is totally an RPG guy and would probably love his game :D It's funny cuz i can picture Luke as an anime character too quite easily, but Han is a lot harder. Very strange. Luke just has that 'look' i guess. Now that i think about it, i was probably wrong saying Logan ran a dojo, judging from his personality. Maybe he has a split personality or he's lying! I'd say the second. Thank you so much for continuing to review!!! It means so much.

**Chapter 12:**

"SHOCKWAVE SWIRL!"

Albel's attack propelled the creature from the safety of the darkness into the warm, orange glow created by the firelight in Fayt's hand. The appearance of the monster caught everyone off guard — it was the most hideous thing they had ever seen.

To put it simply, it looked like a giant grotesque corpse come back to life. But this was no ordinary corpse. Two legs as thick as an elephant's rose up from the ground, covered by great bulging layers of muscles that were a mixture of unnatural purple and greens. On its right hip, what looked like a human head protruded out of its body, eye sockets grey and hollow, long tongue dangling limply from its mouth, and covered with the same glutinous crimson fluid that was oozing out from all different areas of the abomination. On its skinless chest, where you would expect nipples to be, two lava-red eyes slowly rolled back and forth as they surveyed the people in front of them. One arm almost looked normal, but the other tapered outwards into a massive fleshy block which was ostensibly for knocking opponents out. Its head, if you could call it that, was veiled by greasy black hair and perched on a long neck that was swinging backwards and forwards in a thoroughly abnormal and revolting way.

"Holy hell! What in the devil have you unearthed, ya crazy bastard!?" Cliff hollered in Albel's direction.

The latter was charging towards the beast with his katana drawn and as soon as he heard the blond's voice he jolted his head in the crew's direction, eyes squinted, and hissed "_YOU!_", before speedily turning away and slicing his sword into the creature's back.

A low-pitched howl erupted from the mouth of the head on the thing's hip and it turned around and swung its gigantic block arm at Albel, knocking him backwards across the room in a twisting fury of black and blond hair.

"Albel?!" Fayt cried, straining his eyes into the blackness where said man had landed with a loud thump.

Cliff pummeled his fist into his palm — his body suddenly warming in the cold, clammy air — and the light from Fayt's fire splintered across his gauntlet like a streak of the sun across the sea when the storm clouds split. "Everyone in position! We're taking this fucker out!"

Cliff and Luke headed in for a close range attack while Fayt and Han held back to take advantage of their weapons of choice. A high-pitched voice rang through the cavern.

"HEALING!"

The foursome watched as an emerald green Cure spell spiraled upwards around Albel in the darkness behind the corpse creature, illuminating a staff-wielding Sophia. "Fayt! What are you doing here? Are you okay...?"

Albel moved immediately to interrupt. "What have I told you about chitter-chatter during battle?! Now is not the time for such acts of foolishness...one break in concentration during battle could mean you'll be talking in blood when it's all over."

On the other side of the cavern, Han flipped his blaster in Albel's direction. "Where did you find this guy anyway?" he muttered to Fayt, clearly having caught onto the Elicoorian's 'charming' disposition.

"It's a long story, I'll tell you later," he quickly replied, shaking his azure locks from side to side.

Soon they were both eyeing Cliff, who was about to deliver his first blow. "Well kids, this is where the fun begins!" Han roared, firing a series of scarlet shots towards the creature's upper body.

Cliff seemed to blur into another dimension as he skillfully twisted and turned at such an incredibly Klausian speed to avoid the gunfire and pound his knuckles into the monster's oozing flesh at the same time. His attack was relentless, as he repeatedly ducked to avoid the dangerous swing of the enemy's arm and then continued his pummeling — his powerful arms flexing and rippling with every hit. The creature was slowly stumbling backward as eerie cries emanated from the head on the thing's hip. One of Han's blaster shots connected with the right eye on the fiend's chest and it howled in painful anger. The eye never opened again. Sensing their chance, the others jumped into the fray.

Fayt lifted his spare hand up to his chest and summoned a lightning spell. Sparks of electricity began to shimmy in circles around the fingers of his fist and when he lowered his arm and spread out his hand to its full extent in front of him, lightning wrapped around it like a glove and then shot in blinding spires from each of his fingertips. Cliff briefly jumped out of the way as a stream of lethal lightning blasted the enemy's body, causing it to violently shake and tremble on the spot. Blue blood began spurting forth from the scorched marks on the creature's muscles as it glowered at Fayt with its remaining eye and began to march in his direction.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Cliff bellowed protectively, stepping in front of it to go for another round.

Albel came at it from the back, hunched over slightly in his usual battle stance, and leapt into the air to strike the creature with his sword across the back of its endlessly swaying neck. It momentarily turned around and tried to beat Albel with its block arm again, but this time he bolted out of the way.

Luke went at it next. As he ran towards the corpse demon, lightsaber gripped in both hands and held up high in the air, he noticed runes forming over the empty sockets of the human-like head on the thing's hip.

"Luke! Watch out!" Fayt warned as he too observed the gathering sorcery.

Just as he was about to carry out his attack, the fiend sent a Stun spell straight at Luke and he froze on the spot before being flung across the cavern from the resulting wallop of the block arm. Han ceased his firing and rushed over to check if his love was okay. As he knelt down and lifted Luke off the ground to gently hold his immobile body in his arms, Healing magic suddenly spread over the Jedi's form, coaxing the rosiness back into his cheeks.

"Is that better?" Sophia offered from across the cavern. Albel couldn't help but glare icicles at her before going back in for another strike.

"Ya," Han responded, "But he's still not moving."

"It's okay. He just got hit by a Stun spell, he'll be fine in a few minutes," Fayt explained hastily before turning to the Klausian. "Cliff! This thing just doesn't wanna die!" he shouted, as a nagging thought suddenly popped into his head in an incomplete manner. _Die, die? Why does that ring a bell here? _"Why don't you try an aerial attack? That invaluable one you used when we were fighting Luther?"

Cliff let out a singular laugh and turned to stare straight at Fayt in disbelief. "Don't be silly, the ceiling's too low in this cave! ...Yo man?! Ya want me to splatter by brains out all over the place?" _Geez, not as smart as he looks all the time is he?_

"**Actually, I wouldn't mind that**," Albel sadistically shot back with a satisfied smile.

While all this chattering was going on, the creature managed to spank Cliff on his behind with its block arm and he went barreling through the air, arms flailing about as he readied to soften the landing.

"DIE YOU SONOVABITCH!" Han belted out as he began a rapid fire assault, aiming for the other chest eye. Luke had come to and was readying for another offensive.

"THAT'S IT!" Fayt suddenly cried, the stars in his mind aligning as that nagging thought finally revealed itself. "Maybe it's already dead and therefore…!"

He started summoning another symbology and the fiend did the same — only quicker — and the hip head wagged its lengthy tongue in a repulsive fashion. A spike of ice materialized and shot towards the fire orb in the bluenette's hand, their only source of light in the caves. Luckily, Luke was ready and with a focused swish of his wrist, he used his force powers to push the frozen dagger off its path and towards the wall where it shattered harmlessly into a heap of snow crystals.

Fayt finally cast the charm. "HEALING!"

"Oh, thanks Fayt…" Cliff began. "Hey, wait a sec! WHY'RE YA CASTIN' IT ON THE CREATURE?"

A shot from Han's blaster simultaneously hit the beast's remaining eye while the Cure spell swept through its disgusting body. Clearly hurt — worse than any of the previous attacks — it staggered backwards and fell into a sitting position, clutching itself with its normal hand, bloody sapphires spewing everywhere.

"That's why, silly!" Fayt replied in relief. "It's an undead creature, and they're damaged by Cure spells...uhh, like Grade 3 Symbology? Remember?"

The Klausian — who was still sitting on the ground massaging his ankle — took a few seconds to respond. "Wow, you are smarter than ya look," he teased with a playful wink.

"You and I both."

With both of its chest eyes damaged, the oily hair covering the creature's real head parted to reveal another eye, this one filled with hellfire rage. Fayt knew what to do. "Sophia! Hurry and cast a Life spell on it!"

A massive rune symbol formed in front of the monster, as it desperately called on its most powerful incantation and aimed it towards Albel and Sophia, who were standing behind it.

"**RESTORATION!**" Sophia shrieked, spreading her arms out over her head, her eyes bursting with determination.

A globe of blinding light appeared over the creature and circled like a halo before encasing all of it in solar brilliance and then going out. When everyone lowered their arms from their eyes, the corpse demon was gone.

A collective cheer — minus Albel — filled the now smoky cavern. Strangely, he didn't stop his attack. Indeed, he continued casting fire spells at Cliff, Luke, and Han.

"OW OW **OW** **OW**!" they cried in unison, jumping up and down to try to escape the sweltering flames.

Sophia went ahead and healed them all, Cliff yelled 'HEY ASSHAT, CUT IT OUT!', and then Albel finally terminated his attack. "Why did you help them, Sophia?" he snapped. "They're the enemy."

"No they aren't!" she declared resolutely before scuttling over to give Fayt a big bear hug. He was so glad to see her again and couldn't resist giving Albel a 'what's your problem' look over her shoulder.

"So what are you two doing in a place like this, huh?" Han asked sincerely as Luke looked on.

"None of your damn business, worms," Albel replied crossly, a smirk crowding his face. "Who the hell are you anyways?"

Frankly, by now Cliff had had enough. "Everyone just shut yer traps! We don't have time for yakkity-yakkin'. I'm gonna get right to the point...Albel and Sophia, we need ya to join us again and help us defeat an enemy species that is determined to take over the galaxy. So whaddaya say?"

"Shut up, fool!" Albel harshly replied, ignoring the question. "I can't stand the sound of your voice."

"Ya, shut up!" Sophia blurted out suddenly, before realizing what she had said. "Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that," she corrected, waving her hands around in embarrassment. "Of course I'll go."

Fayt grinned warmly and lay a hand on her shoulder. "Sophia, I think you've been spending too much time with Albel." She chuckled as the bluenette turned to face the man. "Albel, please. We really need your help...especially now that Maria's been captured. We think that if we reunite our group, we can deal with this mess once and for all. We did defeat the Creator, you know."

The Elicoorian stood silent for a moment, arms crossed and gaze directed downward. "Fine...I'll go." Within a split-second everyone was staring intently at him, clearly astonished that he had agreed so quickly and easily. "I'm getting bored being stuck here, to tell you the truth. After leveling up so much to beat that king-of-all-idiots Luther, all the enemies around here are simply too easy. I'd finally found something worth my time, and what do you maggots do? Come and deal with what was supposed to be mine."

Fayt and Cliff stridently sighed their exasperation. "Can we get outta here now? This place is givin' me the creeps," the blond confessed as he anxiously scanned the darkness.

"Okay," the bluenette responded, "But after we tell Albel and Sophia something important. Like...this is Han and Luke, our new friends...and…" After gesturing to them his voice trailed off, and acting on impulse he grabbed Cliff's butt before giving him a breathtaking kiss on the lips. The expression on Sophia and Albel's faces was priceless, to say the least. Standing as still as statues that had seen a ghost, they watched with contorted faces as Luke decided it would be fun to grab Han's butt as well.

----------------------------------------------------

Back on the ship, Mirage was resting in Cliff's chair on the bridge, waiting for word from the others. As she sat silently, staring down at the beautiful planet, she realized she hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. Klaus was always so noisy and chaotic and the responsibility of helping run a dojo was definitely rewarding, but stressful nonetheless. There was her father's health to worry about as well, but thankfully he was doing just fine when she left. In addition, she felt almost guilty for the fact that she already missed the experience of living on a ship. The tranquility of space was certainly something that she enjoyed, and call her crazy, but she had always loved the gentle hum and bleep of the controls on the bridge.

There was something about swimming through the stars that had always left her feeling on top of the world when she stretched her arms every morning, especially back when they were all travelling together on the Diplo on the most important mission in the history of the cosmos (even if they didn't know it at the time). She felt pulled in different directions like a fraying rope in a tug-of-war — on one side was her longing for the adventures of space, and on the other was her desire to settle down and live a stable life.

The beep of her control panel shook her from these daydreams. She suddenly remembered why she was here in the first place and her state of relaxation abruptly came to a halt. They were on the way to rescue Maria, who was pretty much a daughter to her, and she couldn't help but let motherly thoughts munch away at her mind. _Is she hurt? What have they done to her? Has she been able to resist their mind-reading? Why didn't I insist on her staying close by so I could better watch over her...?_

"Cliff Fittir to Mirage Koas! Come in!"

"Ya, I'm here Cliff, how are things going down there?"

"I **don't** wanna talk about it. Let's just say we got them. Two down, one to go! We're ready to transport over to Peterny to find Nel."

Mirage found herself grinning without even realizing it. The man was so easy to read, just from his tone. "Roger, Cliff. I'm sending you guys over there now. Don't take too long...there's no time for a pub stop."

"Don't you worry, eh! I'm a one-track mind, if y'know what I mean. We've gotta get to Maria fast, I can hold off till after."

"Gotcha. Over and out."

_Ha. One-track mind. That does describe him quite well, doesn't it? Like that time we — actually he — drank way too much at that bar in Keremeos after breaking up with Craig, and stubbornly refused to go home until he had got a tattoo on his butt. I can't believe he never showed me what it was…yet he shows his mom of all people!_

The computer console chimed to signal that the crew had safety been transported from the Kirlsa Mines to Peterny. As she sat back in her seat, Mirage figured it was a good time to check up on Leila, considering that the kid hadn't run onto the bridge screaming that holograms were chasing her for a while. Mirage made for the next room, silently swinging her arms and still incredulous about how quiet it was on the ship.

As soon as the door to the lounge slid open, she could hear the sound of muffled sobs coming from one of the curved benches at the other side of the room. She soon found Leila sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees and tiny teardrops dripping down her chubby cheeks. Mirage was fairly sure she already knew what this was about, taking into account what Fayt and Cliff had told her about the girl. She slid down the soft bench and sat beside her with her hands resting in her lap. "Hi Leila, what's wrong?"

Leila tore her gaze away from her feet and found Mirage looking down at her with a kind, caring smile. She sloppily wiped the tears from under her swollen eyes and then climbed into Mirage's lap, sitting sideways. "I miss my mommy and daddy. They told me to be strong before the Killers took me, that I'd see them again soon...but I don't know if I can be strong anymore. At first I thought this was all very exciting, but now I'm wondering if I'll ever see them again…"

Fresh teardrops surfaced and she swung her head back and forth in despair, her pigtails gently brushing across Mirage's chest. The latter patted her back and tried to ease her worries: "It'll be okay Leila, we'll do everything we can to find your parents along the way and I'll make sure to tell them what a brave little girl you are. You might even be the one to help us get rid of the Killers altogether, which would make you famous don't you think?"

When Leila looked up to meet Mirage's gaze, glimmering sparkles had formed within the teary half-moon gathering along her lower lashes. Mirage continued: "And even if we can't find them, you can stay here with us and we'll take care of you the best we can. Cliff and I actually raised a little girl like yourself who we'd found all alone on our journeys through space. And she grew up to help Fayt save the galaxy, as you've heard. She also saved us a few times as well. And now we have to save her."

Leila played around with a few strands of Mirage's silky blonde hair hanging beside her before responding. "Are you talking about Maria? The girl Cliff's mom was talking about? Aren't you worried about her?"

"Oh yes, I'm very worried," she honestly replied. "I'm scared just like you. And I'm sure your mom and dad feel the same way and are also desperately searching for you. It's okay to be sad Leila, you don't have to be strong all the time...that's a lot of work."

Leila grinned until dimples adorned her face. "You're cool Mirage. I like you. But, I'll like you even more if you get me something to eat…"

Mirage chuckled and they both stood up to go to the replicator. _I don't know what Cliff was talking about, Leila's not a pain at all. She probably just puts on a happy face or tries to be obnoxious as a way of hiding — or coping with — what she really feels inside. It's easy to pretend that everything is okay...I know what that's like. In fact, I've done that many times in my life; I'm even doing it right now._

----------------------------------------------------

Fayt, Cliff, Han, Luke, Albel, and Sophia materialized into the brilliant sunlit plains outside Peterny. According to ship scanners, Nel was somewhere inside the town. After escaping the stuffy Kirlsa Mines, being outside with a fresh breeze swirling by made everyone feel lighter, in mood and in step. They headed along the charming cobblestone street towards Peterny's main square, keeping their eyes peeled for that unmistakable, well-kept crimson hair.

"...And that's how we ended up here, looking for you guys so we can stop these Killers," Fayt explained, finishing his story about all the craziness that had occurred since he had last seen Albel and Sophia. Cliff was resting his arm over Fayt's shoulders as they walked, and Han and Luke were tagging along behind, enamored by the sights of the town.

"So these Killers are from their universe?" Albel questioned accusingly, nodding towards Han and Luke.

"...I have family on Mars," Sophia interrupted sadly, her eyes downcast.

"I know."

Affronted at being ignored, Albel tried again. "Why don't we talk about something more pertinent. Like the fact I can't believe you two are…" But instead of finishing his sentence he made a circle with the thumb and forefinger of his normal hand and poked a metal forefinger in and out of it.

Fayt rolled his eyes skyward and exhaled through his nose. "Yes Albel, thank you for the graphic interpretation."

Cliff laugh-snorted and shook his head. "Well now, I guess that's what you and Sophia are doing too, isn't it? Y'know, kinda makes me nauseous thinkin' about it."

Albel pretended to see something of great interest as he stared towards the pub. "Hmph."

"I'm confused — what are you guys talking about?" Sophia finally asked. "Sticking a pipe in a hole?"

Fayt, Cliff, and Albel sighed loudly. "Ah, and look who it is!" the blond suddenly announced with gusto.

There, sitting at one of the tables at the main square restaurant was Clair Lasbard, her dark silver braided hair rippling in the wind. And there, sitting comfortably on her lap, was Nel.

She immediately took Clair's hand off her thigh and got up to go over and greet Fayt and Cliff, her cheeks a little blushed. "It's good to see you again. We were taking a break from the rebuilding in Arias to help investigate some merchants here in Peterny," she swiftly explained. "What brings you all here...Albel and Sophia too?"

Fayt gave her a brief synopsis about the Killers and Maria. "So could you come with us again? Just like old times sake? We need you."

Nel glanced back at Clair. "Well from the sound of it Nel, helping them out sounds way more important than anything going on here. I know you've been restless lately."

Nel dipped her chin into the collar of her shirt and responded after thinking it over. "Well, if it's okay with her I will gladly take up your offer. After you helped us before, it's the least I can do."

Cliff stood with brawny arms folded and a satisfied smile. "There, look at that Albel. Look how easy Nel made that. No pain, no psycho monsters, and no complainin'. You could learn a thing or two from her."

"Oh stuff it, you self-righteous, overgrown oaf."

----------------------------------------------------

Once everyone had returned to the Saviour and proper greetings were had all round, they set a course for Titan — where Maria was being held — at maximum warp. That night, as Cliff slept, he slipped into a dream…

At the beginning, he was looking across a bland, grey corridor at a low angle that clearly belonged to a Federation building. All he could see were the bounding legs of a mass of creatures with black fur and patches of red, scabby skin racing down the corridor, paws beating against the floor. As Cliff's point of view followed them along and moved upwards, he discovered it was a pack of vicious looking zombie dogs, like the ones that had attacked him on the Killers' planet. Suddenly his dream flashed to a place farther up the hallway where a girl with long cerulean hair kept looking back behind her as she sprinted along like her life depended on it, her heavy breathing slicing through the air. Then it was back to the zombie dogs, drool oozing down their incisive teeth as they growled and barked ferociously at the girl up ahead. The dream morphed once again to zoom up to the terrified human, who had removed her gun from its holster and begun shooting desperately at her pursuers. Like a movie camera, Cliff's sight followed the beams of light from the gun until they made contact with some of the dogs, who then tripped, yelped, and fell out of the race. But there was too many of them...they were going to catch her...the lead dog's eyes burned with a fire only a pyromaniac could love...it was about to nip at the flapping end of her cape…

Cliff awoke with a start, shaking all over like a dog told it was time for a bath. That's when he noticed the ship's emergency system had been triggered…

**OMG! TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: Hmm, I don't know whether i like this chapter or not. It's very actiony and plot-oriented and i like my dialogue and drama. haha. oh and romance of course...hmm need another lemon soon. Anyways, next chapter will be crazy, that's all i can say. Oh and the Mirage part I totally didn't plan to do that long. I started writing it and she kept wanting to say more and more stuff and I was like 'okay why not?' She's one of my fav characters so it's fun to hear more about her. Btw, 'Nox's Pain in the Ass' refers to the monster Albel is fighting and thus Fayt & Cliff have to deal with it so it's a pain for them. Haha, bet you thought this was a lemon for Albel ;D)


	13. Chapter 13: The Scars of Fayt Leingod

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke, little AlbelxSophia

Rating: PG

Summary: The calm is over, the storm arrives. There is an interruption on the way to Titan that really crystalizes for Fayt the gravity of the war the Killers have started. The crew then arrives at Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and begins a rescue mission for Maria. But something's just not right...Fayt stumbles upon something unbelievable...and all bets are off.

Shoutouts: Zelavril - You're back! All is right in the world! haha. Are u sure no one was smoking pot when you smelled it while reading ch 10? LOL. that must be why you think my story is so funny all the time and u chose 2 (2 2 2) favourite lines with pot in them...hehe joking. omg I totally understand what you mean about Logan. and i don't really know how i do that! holy cow i laughed so hard at your fruit tree metaphor, but i totally get it. i also had disturbing images with the adrayxfayt ending! SCA-REE. anyways, u didn't notice i purposely used two of your favourite words in ONE line in ch 10! i used 'sun-kissed' and 'pyre' just for u. i adored your reviews, thank you. Spectralwings - OMG that thing about the old men where you work is so funny and gross at the same time! cuz my younger sister said the same thing happened to her at the gas station she used to work at! I love your sitcom idea. One of these days we'll go to Japan to pitch A Love on the Sidelines as an anime and your sitcom idea as well. ya Mirage probably did most of the work raising Maria :D anyways, when are you gonna send me the Fayt pic you drew?!

**Chapter 13 (Italics are thoughts, but when enclosed by quotes it means it's a transmission):**

"Aww, gross!" Cliff muttered as he ran his fingers through the damp blond hair hanging over his right ear. Yup, that was the wetness he had felt. Sweat. Even the sheets felt moist, that cold dampness only found in the depths of a fog-filled cave. He flung the bedspread off — to escape the encroaching feeling that he was back in the Kirlsa Mines — and slowly swept a hand along his glistening chest and stomach. Turning his head to the side, he temporarily ignored the ship's warning chimes and studied the blue-haired cutie lying to his left, undressing him with his eyes from tip to toe. Fayt was sleeping on his side facing away from Cliff, comfortably curled up, endless blue ocean strands ebbing against his pillow, knees bent towards his stomach, twitching toes just touching Cliff's closest thigh. Just for a moment, a split-second, the blond savoured an overpowering feeling of thankfulness. He wasn't really sure why. It probably had something to do with the fact that someone so beautiful and so precious had truly stolen his heart.

Fayt awoke abruptly, his eyes fluttering open, all senses on high alert. He turned his head back and forth a few times to get his bearings before rolling over to make eye contact with Cliff.

"What's going on?" he asked anxiously.

"I dunno, I just woke up too. We'd better go check it out."

As if she could hear their query from her place on the bridge (is there anything she can't do?), Mirage's voice soon echoed across the ship. "I need everyone to join me on the bridge. I'm afraid we've got company."

The ship suddenly shook and a deep groan reverberated through the walls. Fayt and Cliff tossed off their PJs and changed into their clothes in record time. Dashing hip to hip out of their room, they met up with Albel and Luke in the hallway and ran with them.

"Hey...what happened to your hair, Cliff?" Luke inquired with wrinkled brow.

"Oh, huh. Well ya see now, I have alotta dreams where I'm exercisin' and I guess it starts to show…" he began while flexing a bicep. "How else do ya think I keep in such good shape?"

Luke wasn't buying it for a minute. "And what about you, Fayt?" he questioned, staring suspiciously at the bluenette's hair, which was sticking up all erratically from keeping the same spot pressed into the pillow all night.

"What are you talking about? What's wrong with it?" he replied in a perturbed manner, unaware of how hilarious it looked.

"Is it not **blatantly clear** what they were doing?" Albel finally declared with an air of haughtiness. "I'll give you a clue, fool...it rhymes with 'bucking'."

Luke sniggered to himself while Cliff and Fayt shook their heads. "Noooo!" the Klausian continued assertively. "Is that all y'think about? ...Never mind, I don't wanna know the answer to that."

Luckily they had arrived at the bridge where Nel, Sophia, Leila, and Han were already waiting. Mirage proceeded to fill them in with a succinct summary of the situation: "I had no choice but to take us out of warp because sensors picked up ships blocking our flight path. We now appear to be caught in the middle of a battle between three spaceships from Mars."

Fayt and Cliff immediately stared out the front screen into the storm of phase cannon fire. There were two smaller ships being pursued by an enormous one, with the Saviour right in the middle…

"Hey! That's a Federation battle-class ship!" Fayt cried suddenly, pointing it out. "I think it's the Liberty, the mothership of Mars' fleet!"

Cliff's eyes widened, awakening lines of wrinkles across his forehead. "You don't think…?"

"**The Killers**…" Sophia stated breathily, saying what was on everyone's mind. Just as she finished, the ship rocked violently as a quantum torpedo from the Liberty exploded against the Saviour's shields. Leila and Luke lost their balance and tumbled to the ground. After helping them up, Nel soon ushered everyone except Fayt, Cliff, Mirage, and Sophia off into the lounge and out of the way.

"Shields at 60 percent!" Mirage announced. "We won't last long against that thing. What's the plan?"

Cliff leapt into the other seat and began punching away at the console. "I say we maneuver around it and jump the hell back into warp! This isn't our battle!"

"It has a creation cannon…" Fayt muttered, almost in a whisper — like that would make the realization less foreboding — as he looked from the Liberty to the two smaller ships. His heart was pressing against his ribs and up into his throat as those terrible feelings of being pursued by Vendeeni ships after the Hyda incident came rushing back to him. _That was me in those fleeing ships only a short while ago...running for our lives...and knowing time was running out... _

"One of the smaller ships is hailing us, audio only," Mirage advised. "I'll put it through."

"_Unidentified Klausian vessel, this is Captain Barker of the starship Renovartia. We managed to escape from Mars with hundreds of refugees on these two ships, but we were somehow tracked by the enemy! They were going to put us into internment camps and force us into slavery, so with Ophelia's assistance we somehow made it through a hole in the planetary shield...but now they've taken out both of our warp drives and if you don't help us, it will all be for naught. Please, whoever you are, you're our only hope…_"

The ship hummed softly as the crew mulled over the transmission. "We have to help them Cliff," Fayt soon stated surely as the blond shrugged and shook his head in response. "I dunno, but we've gotta do something!"

Cliff was already quite accustomed to his boyfriend meddling in other people's business, and ever since, his heart had softened to strangers in need. "Okay let's do it! Evasive maneuvers, ready antimatter torpedoes, full spread! We'll try to take out their creation cannon."

"Roger," Mirage responded, as cool as ever.

"_This is Fayt Leingod speaking, co-Captain of the Saviour. We're going to do our best to help you out; have your ship and the other aim for the Liberty's creation cannon. Hold in there._"

"_FAYT LEINGOD! I can't believe it's you! We're saved! Did you hear that everyone…Fayt Leingod's on that ship over there!_"

"They all love you, y'know Fayt," Mirage offered warmly. "You're an inspiration to people, they gain strength simply from hearing your voice."

_Really? I can do that? _he pondered, dumbfounded. _I just hope I don't let them down then. This time...I'll be the saviour._

Against a backdrop of stars, brilliant beams of phase fire shot back and forth like a lethal laser show between the Liberty and the other ships, and another torpedo began barreling towards the Saviour. Before it could make contact, the Saviour leapt out of the way and sent three of its own torpedoes towards the Liberty, joining the others soaring over from the escaping ships. They all converged on one spot and detonated in a blinding bombardment, sending silvery shock waves rippling in all directions.

"It wasn't enough!" Mirage maintained. "The shields over the cannon are very weak, but still holding."

Cliff rubbed his hands together, tasting triumph on the tip of his tongue. "No sweat! Prepare another spread of torpedoes and focus all secondary fire on the warp drive. Haha, we've got them now."

Fayt suddenly felt a sharp and penetrating pain hammer into his head like a nail thrashed through his temple. Pressing his hands to his ears, a piercing cacophony comparable to static feedback from a microphone ravaged his mind and caused him to collapse on his knees in agony. He could hear laughing, terrible satisfied laughing. It soon passed and he sensed Sophia kneeling beside him, patting his back, and asking if was okay. Three words seared through his mind: _We're too late_.

Without warning, creation energy began coalescing at the end of the Liberty's cannon into a dreadful death star of destruction. The crew watch helplessly as an empyrean beam of effulgence blasted towards one of the smaller ships, enveloping it entirely out of existence.

Hair-raising screams reverberated through the audio feed from the other vessel, cries of indescribable sorrow and despair.

"OH SHIT!" Cliff roared a few moments later, returning from a daze. "Our shields are failing! Uhh, Fayt...it's time. We have no other choice. Let's hope that training did some good."

The bluenette felt a rush of rage and a surge of strength. _Why is this happening again? I don't want to kill anymore, I don't want anymore people to die. What did those poor people ever do to them? ...Why me? _

It began with a tingle in his toes. Ivory luminance burst forth from his legs and spiraled upwards around his body, erupting into a cloud of white feathers as it reached his chest. It continued up to his forehead, fugaciously causing his eyes to burn bright with ambrosial flame. He felt as though he was being lifted from his body, his spirit floating skyward as the rune symbol on his forehead initiated a power more destructive than creation itself. The flare of brilliancy burst forth from his body through the ship's front screen, past three more gargantuan runes in space that multiplied its power and focused it in on the Liberty. The ship instantly deliquesced into the beam, utterly annihilated into oblivion.

Fayt sunk to his knees, one hand holding his upper body off the floor. "I'm going to take you to lie down," Sophia told him gently, breaking the silent awe surrounding the bridge. She helped him walk into the corridor, his gaze dreamy and sad.

Captain Barker spoke again. "_Tell Master Fayt thank you, for whatever he did. We are forever in his debt._"

"For sure, I'll let him know," Cliff quietly promised. "You guys gonna be okay?"

"_Yes, we just need time to do some repairs, we'll be off in no time._"

Sitting back in his chair with his hands behind his head, Cliff mulled his parting words: "Okay then. I recommend you head for Klaus III. Tell them Cliff Fittir sent ya, that'll getcha the royal treatment."

Mirage grinned thoughtfully at her best friend. "Umm, I'm not so sure about that."

----------------------------------------------------

The Saviour came rocketing out of hyperspace into Titan's orbit, knocking an imperceptible piece of space junk and sending it flying out towards Saturn. The gas giant's glorious rings were visible from where the ship sat, their polychromatic layers a veritable marvel of the Sol System. The crew pried their eyes away from the spectacular planet and looked towards its largest moon. There were no ships in orbit. Its space station looked lifeless. It was hard to see through the yellow haze of its dense atmosphere, but once again, it was clear that the moon was covered by another of the Federation's ecumenopoli, or cities that fill whole planets.

"It's too quiet," Fayt intuitively remarked. "Something doesn't seem right."

"Well, considering it's been taken over by the Killers, who knows what's going on," Cliff replied somberly. He suddenly threw a fist into the air. "AHA! Found her! The ship's picked up Maria's signature, but I can't get a lock on her so I've input close coordinates into the transporter for us. Who's gonna stay behind and keep house?"

Predictably, Mirage raised her hand. Han also raised his hand, adding: "I think I'll sit this one out."

Everyone else appeared eager to join the rescue mission. Fayt had to do some convincing with the rest of the crew to allow Leila to come along though. He figured they might find out why the Killers were so scared of her. It would be easy enough to transport back up if they ran into serious trouble.

They all made their way to the transporter room and stood on the platform, each instinctively adjusting their respective weapons.

"Make sure you stay sharp down there!" Han warned as he stood leaning in the doorway, one foot crossed over the other. "...Just a few words of advice. This could be a trap for all we know."

Nel responded first, looking between Han and Mirage as she straightened her wrist cuffs. "We will come back with Maria whether trap or no trap, I can assure you that. As long as we've got this man right here, we'll be fine," she said, motioning towards Fayt.

"Ya, don't worry about us," Luke added jovially.

Han broke into a devilish smile. "Oh, I'm worrying!"

Albel was standing in front of Sophia, clumsily helping her adjust the collar around her neck. He accidentally stepped on her foot and she chuckled, turning pink in the face. "Enough about Leingod, what about **me**?" he demanded, glancing over at Nel.

"That goes without saying Albel," she teased, turning back to Mirage. "We'll keep in touch."

Leila, who was quietly taking it all in, finally spoke up. "Yes! You'll hear from me every time Cliff is **mean** to me while we're gone."

Cliff's jaw dropped. He didn't see that one coming. "WHAT'RE YA TALKIN' ABOUT, ya little runt?!" he exclaimed, messing up her hair with one hand. "I would never do such a thing. Isn't that right Fayt?"

The bluenette stood silently scratching his chin, until the corners of his mouth curved upward. "Well, aside from the time you said you were going to smack me I'd say yes, you're a pretty agreeable guy."

Seeing that everyone was ready, Mirage activated the transporter. Cliff managed a rebuttal before vanishing: "HEY! That's not fair! That was an extenuating circumstance…!"

----------------------------------------------------

The crew materialized into utter and complete darkness. No one could see anything — not even each other — even though they were all standing close together. Listening for any sound whatsoever, the only thing Fayt heard was the breathing of his friends and an infuriated grunt from Cliff.

"UHH! **NOT AGAIN!!!**"

Thinking that the Klausian was right beside him, Fayt tentatively extended a hand into the surrounding blackness and felt the warm touch of someone else's fingers.

"Oh, hi there Fayt," Luke chuckled. "That's me."

The bluenette apologized and then felt a little more to the left where the angry breathing was coming from. There his fingers curled into the big, smooth hands of his boyfriend, where they belonged. Cliff squeezed his grip in response as his heartbeat slowly returned to normalcy. Taking initiative, Fayt once again summoned a continuously burning fire spell in the palm of his free hand. The flames licked into the reaches of the shadows, revealing everyone's faces in addition to where they were standing.

They were in the centre of a long corridor without any windows and with overhead lights turned off. The walls were bland, off-white, and paneled, with a decorative potted plant placed every few metres. This was a Federation building no doubt.

Albel's voice stabbed through the stillness. "Where have you taken us, you incompetent blond brute?"

"Chill out tightass! I got us as close to Maria's coordinates as I could!" Cliff bellowed defensively with a massive shrug.

"Please you two, focus on the mission at hand," Nel pleaded as her, Leila, and Sophia studied the latter's quad scanner.

Sophia soon pointed east down the corridor with her crescent-moon staff. "She's this way everyone. My scanner says there are a bunch of weird energy readings up ahead though."

_Oh great, _they all thought to themselves. As they set out walking, squinting their eyes into the aphotic abyss ahead, Luke couldn't contain his curiosity about the place. "So, Fayt, what do you know about Titan? Where could we be right now?"

Feeling a bit dizzy and blinking as he kept thinking he was seeing things, the bluenette responded in an automatic tone. "Titan is recognized as the Sol System's official amusement park — like Disneyland on a planet-wide scale. People come from all over to vacation here and have fun. There are rides, casinos, theme parks, battle simulators, sports stadiums, virtual reality decks, concerts, and shows. I've visited it before with my fam…"

"YOU HAVE?!" Cliff and Sophia both cried. "Why didn't you say anyth…" As the Klausian spoke, the group walked past a floor-to-ceiling window on one side of the hallway, beyond which was a dim locker room. Time seemingly slowed as Fayt glanced through the glass, and with his head spinning he looked back at Cliff...who had inexplicably turned into another man, someone who made his heart swell with tears. In fact, everything around him suddenly changed, like someone had swept a magical veil across his surroundings. The hallway was now brightly lit and bustling with families walking by — silly smiles on all of their faces — and the crew had disappeared. It was the exact same corridor though. And he felt smaller all of a sudden, since he had to look way up to see the face of the man talking to him.

"Keep up Fayt, I know you're excited but we don't have time to stop," Robert reminded him with a sympathetic grin.

Fayt gazed back into the locker room again, where people were changing out of their regular clothes and into armour gear. He felt the need to reply and couldn't control it anyways. "But daddy look who's in there! He's the best there is!"

"Come on, sweetie. We have to go now and take our seats before the match starts. We can try to get his autograph later," Ryoko urged, motioning her son forward. Fayt hadn't even noticed she was there until he turned around at the sound of her voice. He looked back into the locker room longingly, finally noticing his reflection in the glass. He was a kid again.

Robert gently grabbed his hand and led him away from the window. "How about we buy you a toy or something once we sit down since you're being such a good boy today?"

Fayt's eyes lit up like a sparkler on Halloween night. "Really!? YAY! Okay, can I get that pretend sword I saw that lights up?" he begged, looking up at his mother as they marched along. She had a pretty faux flower attached to her azure hair above one ear and her smile made him feel warm inside.

"Sure honey, sounds good," she answered, bending over to kiss him on the head. "Wow, I think you've grown in the last month!" she then exclaimed, watching him bounce along a few steps in front of her. "My little angel's going to be tall, just like his dad…"

When Fayt turned to look at Robert, he found himself suddenly staring at Cliff again, back in present time, walking through the chilling darkness. The bluenette could tell his companion was worried by the concerned look on the other's face. He noticed that tears were streaming down the ridge of his own nose and his stomach was uncomfortably churning in circles like he had eaten something rank.

"**I know where we are…**" he declared mystically to his crewmates, the hand holding the fire orb trembling and causing the shadows on the wall to spring up and down. Cliff could feel the shaking in Fayt's other hand, but the latter was staring straight forward, not wanting to betray his tears.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked gently. "You don't look so..."

Something caught Cliff's eye and he stopped in mid-sentence. Albel was walking in front of them with Sophia and the flap of his cape in the firelight reminded the Klausian of his traumatizing dream from earlier…

This was the same corridor. He could practically see Maria running down this hall, the pack of zombie dogs hot on her trail. He could hear the growling, her breathing, the echoing gunshots…

The corridor ended up ahead. They couldn't see what was beyond it, except that it must be a huge room of some sort.

"So...where are we Fayt?" Leila inquired cheerfully, now holding onto Luke and still awaiting his reply.

The bluenette turned to answer and as he spun everything around him blurred and he found himself back in the brightly lit past. "I'm so excited, daddy!"

Robert glanced down at him. "I know! This is going to be so much fun. I know you've wanted to come here for ages. We've been away too long for work, I'm sorry and I hope you forgive us. But you know we're always there for you, one hundred percent. Oh, here we are. Hey Ryo, can I see the ticket stub?"

Fayt felt his father's hand slip from his grasp...forever.

He was back at Cliff's side now, cheeks covered in tears, puffy black bags forming under his bloodshot eyes — they had finally stopped in the vast-open, but pitch-black room. _Yet, even through the lasting lies, the superficial veneer, and the long absences, __**he was**__ there for me when I needed him most…_

_I'm holding on your rope  
Got me ten feet off the ground  
And I'm hearing what you say (forgive me…)  
But I just can't make a sound_  
_You tell me that you need me  
Then you go and cut me down_..._but wait, _  
_You tell me that you're sorry  
Didn't think I'd turn around and say_

_That it's too late to apologize, it's too late  
And there's no need to apologize, there's no need..._

_I'd take another chance, take a fall, take a **shot** for you  
And I need you like a heart needs a beat  
But that's nothing new, yeah yeah  
I loved you with a fire red, now it's turning blue...and you say,_  
'_Sorry' like the angel heaven let me think was you,  
But I'm afraid..._

_- The song: Timbaland featuring One Republic 'Apologize'_

The overwhelming waves of emotion finally receded as he gradually settled back into reality and the situation at hand. _Why are they holding Maria here, of all places_, he pointedly pondered. Then it hit him. The unmistakable sound of murmuring, of thousands of people talking in hushed voices to one another, not close to him, but still all around him, suffocating him and pressing him down. All the crew was staring at each other, trying to decipher what the noise could be. A real feeling of claustrophobia was setting in — a primal need to escape the incoherent babble invading their minds. They couldn't see anything beyond the bitty glow of Fayt's firelight, except that they were standing on a dirt floor.

"What is this devilry that lurks in the shadows?" Albel hissed, drawing his katana from its sheath.

He would soon have his answer. They heard an obstreperous creaking sound far above them and soon a long sliver of dazzling sunlight tore through the dying darkness, crashing quietly onto the earthy floor. Slowly, like a storm cloud drifting out of the sun's path, the extraordinary mechanical roof of the building they were in retracted to one side to reveal a yellow tinted sky.

They were standing on the arena floor of a colossal battle stadium full to the brim with spectators — in the tens of thousands. Both the crew and the onlookers gasped aloud as daylight flooded into the building. Cliff, Nel, Albel, Sophia, Luke, and Leila all turned in circles on the spot, necks craned upward, awe-struck and taking it all in. A few balloons were floating upward through the open roof and they could see flying cars and small spaceships soaring overhead, their passing shadows making strange shapes on the stadium floor, and skyscrapers like those on Mars farther off in the distance.

The bluenette scanned the endless rows of the crowd, desperately trying to discover any hint of what was going on. An instantly recognizable blur of changing colours was sweeping across the heads of some the spectators like a wave of glittering jewels, signaling the audience was a mix of Titan residents and also...Killers. His gaze eventually rested upon a tall, thick metal pole stuck into the dirt at one end of the stadium...since Maria Traydor herself was hanging from the top of it, held up by chains. The murmuring had turned to full-out chattering by now, as the locals exchanged guesses as to what the Killers were up to.

Cliff had noticed Maria as well. "There she is! She's unconscious from the look of it, but I can tell she's breathing," he proclaimed, aided by his enhanced vision.

As the group ran full-speed to the end of the stadium, a deep voice echoed through the sound system, sending chills up and down Fayt's spine: "**Welcome to the Nightmare…**"

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: So whaddaya think of the chapter? Bucking good or what? Haha. Actually it makes me happy and sad at the same time. okay first, extra points — or you get to touch Cliff's ass, whichever you think is better — if you remember the point in the game where Cliff wanted to smack Fayt.

Second, I had to change one chorus line of 'Apologize' to make it work better for the story. I love the song so much I had to include it. And it actually works well if you think about it for a long time like I have :D I have a different interpretation of the song than the usual one, so for me it works. Like, for example, Fayt thought his dad was wonderful or angel-like (the veneer) before he found out he'd been keeping the secret (or lie) about experimenting on him. The 'forgive me' I added is what Robert says just before he dies in the game. And how his parents say they need him, but they're always at work (long absenses) and don't spend much time with him. And you know what the 'shot' refers to — the ultimate sacrifice. In the end, it may be too late to apologize for the past, but even through all the pain, he never really needed his dad's apology in the first place...and he's finally understanding why.

Thirdly, I was looking at the 'Titan' entry in Wikipedia and it's actually quite fascinating. It rains methane there and apparently there are large stable bodies of surface liquid, the only known to exist outside Earth. Fourthly, I didn't realize how dirty it sounds that Fayt was excited to look into a locker room until after I wrote it! It not like they'd be naked or anything if people could look in ;) Lastly, BAD CLIFF, don't undress people with your eyes without their permission!)


	14. Chapter 14: Trouble on Titan for Traydor

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt

Rating: PG

Summary: Saving Maria Traydor from the Killers is going to be harder than they thought. A lot harder. They've stumbled into a battle stadium on the recently invaded Titan and the ruthless leader of the Killers wants to play a little game with the Star Ocean crew. In the most arduous challenge Cliff (who does something really impulsive), Albel, Sophia, Nel, and Luke have yet faced, Fayt and Leila are the two that really step up to the task in this astonishing chapter.

Shoutouts: Zelavril - Heya, I saw your profile note and no problem about all the schoolwork you have, I'm just happy to hear from you! I'm so glad you find time to fit me in :D and that's great about the court case outcome, yay. Haha Mirage. I try to build on what little they gave us in the game about her personality, and I endevour to make her more human since she was quite one dimensional in the game. I totally get what you mean by Cliff's fighting being fast and slow. I had the image of Cliff fighting in the manga in my mind as i wrote that, combined with the speed of battling in the game. i didn't intend for the 'nip' and 'flapping' to connect to the fire but it totally does! thanks for pointing that out. And, of course, LOL at your dad and dojos. Spectralwings - I hope everything's going well and I hope you like this chapter!

**Chapter 14:**

_**Flashback to the time after Fayt was born...**_

"This is a nightmare, Robert," Fayt's mother sighed, rocking her blue-haired angel gently back and forth in her arms. "Robert? Are you listening to me…?"

Fayt's father stood at the edge of the balcony, his work impatiently waiting for him on the quad scanner in his hand, staring out over the lush orchards of their backyard and across the inspirational shimmer of the ocean's surface. There was no ominous storm, no warning signs — time was passing as it always did, the world oblivious to the coming danger only he and a select few knew of. "I know honey," he said, not turning around, "...but it had to be done."

Ryoko peered back down at her son, his wide and innocent sapphire eyes filling up a chubby face powdered with rose-coloured pixie dust. Baby Fayt flashed a silly smile in response to his mom's gaze and reached up to grab her finger in his tiny, silk-soft hands. "Do you think he will ever forgive us...will Maria forgive Jessie...for what we've done?" Her voice was calm, yet a deep, repressed pain was evident within the strained breathing that enveloped her words.

Robert found his grip on the quad scanner growing painfully tight and his temples pulsed furiously with the dark power of the unrelenting guilt that had plagued him day after day, month after month, slowly eating away at the most delicate and obligatory part of his being — his heart.

"**HOW COULD HE EVER FORGIVE US?**" he abruptly howled, turning around and hurling an arm through the air. "WHEN WHAT WE'VE DONE GOES AGAINST ALL OF OUR BELIEFS! Choosing his life for him…" He threw his scanner to the ground and it bounced along the deck like a rock on water and plopped into the grass. "WE'VE BROKEN EVERY LAW IMAGINABLE, TURNED INTO SELFISH MONSTERS HAPPILY PLAYING GOD ON OUR OWN CHILDREN, LIKE THEY ARE SOME KIND OF LAB EXPERIMENT; LYING TO THE FEDERATION, OUR FAMILIES, OURSELVES…"

Fayt's high-pitched shrieks tore through his father's yelling and Robert finally ceased the tirade, slumping down in the chair beside Ryoko with a groan and a shake of his head. The baby bluenette quickly stopped crying and actually began to chuckle as his dad attempted to lazily blow away the chocolate-brown hair that had fallen into his eyes. "Da da" he cooed through tears. Robert glanced over at his son and tickled his cheeks, his heartache slowly waning.

"Not all of our beliefs…" Ryoko finally replied, her eyes sunset red. "It would've been a greater sin to use the children of someone else. This is greater than us Robert, we have to remember that. We have to hope that one day he will discover for himself why we did this. We are both going through the same thing...the endless torment...we have to share with each other...help each other through." She turned to look him straight in the eye. "I cannot face any of this without you Robert. Promise you'll always be there for me. Please."

The brilliant blue of both his son and wife's hair was a symbol of hope, a life-giving ocean. He leant in closer to her. "Of course I'll be there for you...I promise Ryo, until the end…" His oath was broken by a kiss. ..._Until the end of time_.

----------------------------------------------------

Fayt sprinted down the long length of the arena floor, the crew in hot pursuit. Humans dressed in full armour and holding spears suddenly materialized in front of the dozen or so exits out of the arena, blocking any means of escape. These were actually simulations, but as dangerous as the real thing. As the bluenette came closer to where Maria was tied up, he couldn't fight off the eerie feeling of thousands of people staring at him, watching his every move. It was an awful sensation — as though he was fully naked and brutally exposed — all those prying eyes searing through his clothes, his skin, and into the fragile depths of his mind. It was like a dazzling, penetrating spotlight was revealing the weak and scared boy underneath his tough exterior, and he struggled to keep this raw emotion from overwhelming him by gripping his arms against his chest.

His running became staggered and just as he tripped over a nook in the ground, Cliff was suddenly at his side, grasping his hand and preventing him from falling. His boyfriend's comforting touch and untroubled smile banished that creeping feeling of vulnerability and his enduring strength returned. With his head held high and his mind on overdrive, the bluenette arrived at the base of the tall metal pole and stopped, gazing around at the rest of the group for ideas.

Before anyone could utter a word, **that** creepy voice came out over the speakers once again: "Look who's arrived just on time," it declared pompously, as the crew scanned the stadium seats, looking for its originator. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: THE INFAMOUS...**FAYT LEINGOD!**"

The crowd's clamor surged like a tsunami throughout the building — the Killers amongst the audience were booing, but the local Titan residents were cheering as loud as they could.

"Who is that talking?" Nel shouted to her friends through the deafening racket.

"Hmph...I don't know, but I knew this was going to be a trap!" Albel snapped back.

"Who fuckin' cares...you're the one who wanted to come!" Cliff bellowed, swinging a mighty arm in front of him. "Let's just get Maria down from there and get outta 'ere, stat."

Their conversation was soon overpowered by the voice. "Fayt Leingod, I have a request of you," it roared, a sense of sinisterness now surfacing. "Your resistance is hopeless. We, the Thought Killers — as you have so cleverly christened us — are the new power in this universe, the next great rulers that will bind the galaxy together in peace and prosperity. But we are no fools. We know you cannot simply rule by force, that you must win the hearts and minds of the people. And that's where you come in…"

Sophia edged closer to Albel, her eyes expanding popcorn. "What is he talking about Fayt...?"

The voice continued, cutting her off: "You know what you're up against. Your defenses are weak, they posed no threat whatsoever in our swift takeover. One by one the planets in the Sol System are falling to our rising tide. So we ask you now...**join us**. With you as our spokesman, and perhaps our leader, it will be easy to legitimize our rule among the people, creating a strong and united universe."

"Bah, the maggot talks big Leingod, but we've heard this drivel all before," Albel muttered, easily reading through the manipulative rhetoric.

Fayt nodded and then narrowed in on the voice. At the closest end of the stadium was a special VIP box where the head Killer was broadcasting from — the President of Titan standing helplessly beside him. Fayt screamed back his response, throwing an accusing finger in the air and finding a loudness in his voice he never knew he had: "All of it, everything you say, it is all **LIES!** I know what you want. You want people to bow down before you, to do your every bidding, living as slaves within our own homes, slaughtering all who resist. WELL I WON'T HAVE IT! After everything I've done, after everything we've sacrificed, to bring freedom to our galaxy, I won't let you get away with this!"

"**AMEN!**" the crew roared, cheering on the bluenette.

And then something amazing happened. The Titanites among the crowd began chanting Fayt's name, quietly at first, but then louder and louder. It was heartwarming, to say the least. This was something the bluenette had never experienced before, and it felt so good. Like a final vindication for all the shit he and his comrades had been through.

"**QUIET! EVERYONE SHUTUP!!!**" the leader of the Killers bellowed desperately, shooting his gun into the air with an echoing bang. The chant faded out. "I am your new leader now, people of Titan. Leingod here could have made things a lot better for you, but seeing as he has refused my offer, **it's time to play a little game now**. You see, I think killing you and your friends should be an entertaining affair, a spectacle for all these people who have come out here today...is that not right?"

The Killers amongst the crowd let out a loud and prolonged cheer.

"This doesn't sound good," Luke announced, Leila standing close to him. "How are we going to get out of here after we get Maria down?"

"Fittir to Mirage," the blond spoke into his communicator. "Have the transporter ready."

"Cliff!" her voice immediately rang back. "I can't get a lock on you! There must be some sort of transport scrambler nearby."

The Klausian stared questioningly at Fayt, who nodded his head. "All the battle simulators are equipped with scramblers to prevent people from sneaking in unpaid. I forgot to mention that after I realized where we were."

"Oh y'did, did you? Well...SHIT!"

The leader of the Killers continued: "In this game, my avid spectators, Fayt and his crew will fight to the death...and perhaps — because I am such a generous person — I will spare the life of the last one standing."

The bluenette and his friends glanced confusedly at each other, wondering what the hell he was talking about. _Umm __no__, we will not be fighting each other… _Fayt assured himself.

"President, if you will," the Killer stated, as Titan's President motioned to someone down in the front row. "**This is a nightmare from which you will never awake…**" he proclaimed with finality, his terrible laugh ricocheting like a rubber band to every corner of the stadium. Such a satisfied laugh. So familiar to Fayt.

What happened next he couldn't explain. A ferocious fit of dizziness hit him with force, so that he saw a sheet of stars flickering within his fearful eyes. As he looked around, he noticed everyone else was stumbling around too, all except for Leila. When his vision came back into focus he looked up at Cliff, eager for an explanation. Instead he found Cliff's normally handsome face had warped downwards and malevolent darkness had set into every dip in his visage, slowly transforming it until he looked like a demon with a blood-lusted grin (Cliff noticed the same thing happen to Fayt as well). He realized he was now facing an enemy that wanted his life, not a friend or a lover, and he instinctively drew his sword from its sheath.

He struck demon Cliff across the arm with all the strength he could muster and a splatter of blood spurted forth, which was met by a raucous cheer from the Killers amongst the crowd. The shocked Titanites gasped and held their breath. Unfazed, the Klausian quickly struck back, pummeling Fayt in the stomach with a thrash of his fist so that he flew backwards and onto the ground. The bluenette jumped back up again and ran towards his enemy, gleaming sword gripped firmly in both hands and pointed straight ahead of him with a feral quiver in his eyes…

Albel and Sophia were now fighting each other, katana against symbology, with neither having the upper hand. With an elegant swish of her staff, Sophia sent a lightning bolt from the heavens above that stuck Albel silly and flattened him to the ground. Sparks of electricity lingered in the air and crackled around him. He sprung from his spot like a wild animal and Sophia narrowly avoided a katana to her right leg, the sword grazing across her skin and ripping through her blood-stained clothes…

Luke and Nel were struggling profusely. His lightsaber buzzed and flashed in the hazy golden light as it locked against Nel's daggers in a raw battle of strength. They both drove against each other's weapons, neither able to bring down the other. Luke finally catapulted Nel backwards with a push from the force…

As for Leila, she didn't seem to be affected by the spell. She stood on the outside of the battles, making herself as small as possible and staring angrily up at the Killer leader, fists clenched.

Cliff's last punch slapped Fayt's sword from his hand while the latter hastily responded by tripping the blond with a hypersonic kick. As the Klausian lay spread out on the ground, Fayt noticed that his face was returning to normal...the demonic darkness was fading...he felt as though he was awakening from a dream..._what am I doing to poor Cliff?!_

"MR. PRESIDENT! I COMMAND YOU TO CAST THE CONFUSE SPELL AGAIN — IT'S WEARING OFF!" the leader of the Killers roared through the microphone. The President shrugged. He was too far away to cast it himself on Fayt and co. The person who had done it before in the front row had been tackled by outraged Titanites sitting nearby.

Fayt and his crew awoke from the nightmare and looked around. Sophia immediately cast a series of Healing spells at the sight of glistening blood on her comrades.

Above their heads, Maria moaned. They all tilted their eyes skyward in worry. Clear, snaking bruises could be seen on her face, her azure hair was clumpy and matted, and her clothes were filthy. Her arms were tied behind her around the pole and her head was hanging limply forward, her eyes still closed. The chains that held her to the pole appeared indestructible.

"How will we get her down?" Nel shouted in anguish. "None of our symbologies can break that chain safely."

Surprisingly, Leila was the one who answered. "It's okay! I can set her free! I just need to get up there…" she said, slowly turning to Luke with a giant grin on her face.

"That's crazy!" he replied exasperatedly. "Now how am I supposed to do that."

"Well Lukie, you did lift me up and down in the Saviour like a million times…"

And just when they thought things couldn't get worse, they did. A procession of Killers were running down to the arena floor from the front rows, heading straight for the group, their shifting hair colour creating a seemingly cheery rainbow that veiled their malicious intents. The crew heard a gunshot up in the VIP box and the President slumped out of view. The encroaching Killers were closing in on them, circling Fayt and co. like a pack of wolves ensnaring their prey.

But then something strange happened. Leila started to glow flowery fuchsia and the Killers stumbled and started touching themselves. At that moment, the pieces of the Leila puzzle finally came together in Fayt's mind and he at last understood why she frightened them so.

"What's going on!?" one of the Killers exclaimed as the air around a bunch of them began to suddenly shimmer strangely. The accompanying sound was like hearing a blizzard, rather than the sea, in a conch shell. It appeared as though thousands of tiny glittering diamonds had materialized and started slowly spinning in a circle all around them. Then the jewels began elongating, emitting a cold, polar mist into the air. The Killers nearby gazed in awe, never having seen anything like it — such beauty. However a terrible realization dawned on them: those diamonds were not just decoration but perilous pieces of ice, and in a snap second they grew exponentially and fused together with a loud crash, forming a solid spike of ice that trapped a half dozen Killers within it; they were never to awake.

"YES!" Fayt cheered under his breath. "The symbology worked! Everyone! When Leila is close to the Killers and threatened, she somehow disables their natural armour! They're just like any other enemy now!"

Albel, Sophia, Nel, Cliff, and Luke all glared between Fayt and Leila, mouths dropped.

Fayt turned to address the silent crowd in a booming voice. "Hello everyone!" he began rather sheepishly, giving a little wave. "I want to thank you for your support and I'm sure you're all very confused right now. One thing is clear: you have my promise that I will find a way to bring peace back to our galaxy once again. But right now, we have to take advantage of this situation. This girl disables the Killers' armour! Their leader has foolishly revealed to you what he plans to do, you've seen how barbaric he is, and you've heard the rumours from Mars. Join me in finishing them off and preventing Titan from becoming their latest conquest!"

The Titanites within the audience started chatting loudly amongst themselves. The Killers' leader cried frantically through the microphone: "NO! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!"

Too late. The stadium erupted into a prodigious presentation of pandemonium.

Ordinary residents began casting symbologies on their nearby Killer neighbours, who easily went down without their natural armour. The mix of sights and sounds was incredible. Spells flew this way and that, bright ginger flames dancing in the stadium seats, sorcerous explosions dotting the rows, the leftovers of spikes of ice and rock raining down on the arena floor. Shockwaves thundered through the building and a crisp, sizzling smell filled the stadium — the leftovers from streams of lightning bolts, laser beams, and spheres of might. Phase fire from the Killers joined this mayhem of magic, and soon smoke was billowing through the open roof of the structure.

Meanwhile, Fayt and his companions were battling the Killers on the floor using only symbologies so that their enemy couldn't get too close to them and read their minds, as Cliff had smartly advised. As they stood in a circle around Maria and fought off the enemy, Luke was standing next to the metal pole and slowly lifting Leila upward through the air with his force powers. From the stands, it was quite a scene. This petite girl was mysteriously floating up into the air towards Maria, eyes wide with excitement, pigtails starting to fall out. On top of that, she was glowing pink and any phase shot that happened to come her way bounced off and went in a different direction.

One of the Killers broke through the circle and was bearing down on Luke. He managed to throw his lightsaber in the enemy's direction by taking his eyes off Leila for a split second. The chartreuse-coloured blade spun like a throwing star and sliced clean through the Killer's arm. This lapse in the Jedi's concentration caused Leila to bump into the metal pole and she yelled down at Luke in irritation.

"Sorry, sorry!" he replied, focusing harder and shaking his sandy blond locks out of his line of sight.

Soon she was level with Maria. She unceremoniously chopped the chain with her hand and to Luke's surprise, it shattered in half. Maria began to fall, her navy blue hair billowing up behind her. Luckily, Cliff was watching the situation like a hawk and he raced to the base of the pole, shifting about to make sure he was right underneath her, and then safety caught her in his arms, biceps rippling with the impact.

Fayt came over and gave the Klausian a quick peck on the cheek. "You're quite the superhero aren't you...she was so high up I probably would have dropped her."

Cliff snickered merrily. "Well, y'know, that's what I'm here for. I catch people who fall out of the sky after creepy little girls set them free," he joked, before looking down at his adopted daughter. "Wow, she really doesn't look too good does she. Anyway, let's get outta this place so we can transport up."

Fayt went to tell the others they were leaving. As Cliff stood holding Maria and watching the fantastical array of magical combat up in the stands, he noticed that the Killers' leader had vanished and that the majority of Killers were streaming out of the seats and towards the stadium's exits while the Titanites were staying and finishing off the remainder.

Suddenly, an injured Killer lying on the ground close by who had been watching Cliff began speaking. "There's a reason they're all leaving so quickly...and it's not because they're being attacked. Our leader had a bomb placed in the building in case something like this happened...he thinks of everything you know."

"**WHAT!?**" Cliff shouted warily, striding closer. "Why are you telling me this? How can I trust you?"

"Not all of us support the way he's taking over your universe," the young Killer responded bluntly. "That was never the plan. But we have to suppress those thoughts or we'll be found out," he sighed, clutching the side of his chest. "You seem like good people to me, and I figure what the hell, I'm going to die anyways."

The Klausian just stood there, holding Maria, trying to make up his mind about what to do. He couldn't believe he was taking an enemy at his word. "No you won't," he finally replied, biting his lip and casting a Cure spell over the Killer. The latter jumped to his feet and aimed his phase gun straight at Cliff's head.

"HEY! I JUST SAVED YOUR LIFE, BUDDY!"

The Killer withdrew the gun and started chuckling. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You should have seen the look on your face. I know exactly what was running through your mind too."

"I'll bet," Cliff snorted, trying to deny the fact he liked this guy. "Now can ya do us a favour and show us the fastest way outta here?"

"Sure boss, follow me...and hurry!"

By now, Fayt, Albel, Sophia, Nel, Luke, and Leila were running alongside Cliff, peppering him with questions. "LISTEN GUYS!" he cried. "We gotta leave this place faster than a cheetah or we're toast. There's a bomb in the building..."

"What!? Did you say what I thought you just said, worm? You'd better not be pulling our leg. What kind of bomb is it, Fittir?" Albel questioned intently.

Cliff tried to shrug but it was hard while carrying Maria. "I dunno, a bomb?! **A bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb!**"

"But what about all the people still in here!" Fayt cried in desperation.

"What can we do, kid? It's so loud now no one would hear you. We gotta be realistic here, it's gonna go off any second and we might not even make it out alive."

Just before they dashed into one of the exit corridors after the Killer, Fayt looked wretchedly across the crowd one more time, everyone happily attacking the enemy in a firework-like show of wizardry. The guilt was eating him up from inside, but he knew there was nothing he could do. _This isn't how it was supposed to be_, he pondered, watching people from both sides slumping down dead. _I can feel it crumbling...falling away from beneath our feet. Everything we fought for. Everything we lost._

The dash through the corridors was a nebulous blur, bland hallway after bland hallway, sporadically running into Killers that were also escaping and thus thankfully paid them no mind. They closely followed the Killer Cliff had saved, until they emerged through the sliding glass doors and into the cool Titan air. Killers were streaming out of the battle simulator and escaping in waiting cars.

"MIRAGE! Get us out of here!" Cliff bellowed into his communicator as they all continued running from the stadium, across the plaza. "Eight to beam up!"

"Okay I've got you, you're outside the scrambler's range. Eight though?"

"Yup," he replied, glancing at the Killer beside him. "We have a new friend."

They looked behind themselves as they ran with a growing sickness in their stomachs. A deep, bloodcurdling detonation sounded from within the building. The air around them began to make a strange, sucking noise as it was forcibly drawn into the stadium. They gazed in absolute horror as the structure suddenly exploded in a massive mushroom cloud, dragging passing spaceships and flying cars into the raging firestorm and escalating ember showers. A behemothic shockwave was surging towards the crew, ripping up the earth in its path to reveal the hell beneath, and they vanished from the moon as it razed the very ground they were standing upon only moments ago.

**OH CRAP! TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: I'm so glad to get this chapter out of my mind and onto paper. It's been festering for a while. Wow, things are getting complex aren't they? Just like real life. I can't believe the crew was fighting each other! haha. Next chapter...LEMON, finally. They still haven't had one yet after officially getting together!)


	15. Chapter 15: Making & Questioning Love

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, bit o AlbelxSophia, HanxLuke

Rating: R for dirty fun

Summary: The SO3 crew has escaped from Titan, leaving disaster in their wake. On the way to Midgard, each person has a different way of coping with what they saw...from ignorance (they've seen it all before), to sadness, to anger, to well...having sex. Oh you knew that was coming. Leila has perhaps the most interesting response of all. And who is this Killer they rescued? Well, he immediately gets between Fayt and Cliff, if you want a clue.

Shoutouts: Zelavril - Someone gave you Fresh Sage! YAY! Love to get your reviews, as usual, a nice Christmas present. Again with you mentioning your love of Fayt and Cliff getting kinky...at least there's Chapter 6 of A Love on the Sidelines ;D! And yes, I really did put my all into Chapter 13 & 14 and I'm glad the locker room scene made you laugh at school when you shouldn't have! It felt very special to write Robert & Ryoko into the story in the way I did, through the visionary flashback Fayt had on Titan. I'm interested to see what you think of Ch 14. So...how was touching Cliff's butt? Fayt gets to find out in this chappy :D! In reference to your profile, I did get 2 PM's from you in Dec. Spectralwings - Oh Spectral where are you? Happy New Year to you both, by the way!

**Chapter 15 (censored version, the cut out part is replaced by a link):**

Nel, Mirage, and the Killer they had picked up were gathered in the ship's infirmary watching over a sleeping Maria. Running a portable med scanner over her patient, Mirage was studying the cuts and bruises as she went. Maria looked rather peaceful with her cheeks flushed pretty pink, sleeping deeply as though she hadn't caught a proper wink in days.

"It looks like she hasn't suffered anything more than superficial bruising," Mirage announced with a grand sigh of relief.

Nel sat with her legs and arms crossed. "I'm just glad we got her back in one piece after that whole ordeal."

"Yeah," Mirage replied distantly, tears floating in her eyes. They both stared off into space, thinking about the bomb that had just killed so many people...and was it only so they could have Maria back?

Nel suddenly leapt out of her seat and smashed her fist on a nearby countertop. "Who does something like that?!" she yelled as her crimson hair flew about. "These Killers are absolutely **insane**...will they stop at nothing to bring the universe under their control?"

"Umm, I'm sitting right here," the young Killer spoke quietly, trying to lighten the heavy mood in the room.

Her eyes briefly narrowed at him, before she fell back into her seat and immediately cried 'Owww!' while rubbing her lower back. "My back's a little sore from that battle with Luke," Nel stated dryly in response to Mirage's puzzled look.

"Do you want me to look at it?"

"No, it's fine. Maria needs your attention right now."

Mirage broke a smile and turned back around to continue tending Maria's wounds. She ran one hand over the smaller ones, casting a green Cure spell that trickled like falling stars from her palm and mended the bruises. In her other hand she held a device that helped in healing the larger cuts. "It's strange Nel," she began. "You've changed since we first met you, but in many ways you're still the same. Your whole life encompassed only a small part of your world, before we plucked you from Elicoor and showed you life in space. You've learned so much, so quickly, more than anyone from your planet could ever imagine, but you're still very much the leader of the brigade...if only in a war of a much larger scale."

Nel initially looked taken aback by Mirage's acute observation before running it through her head and eventually nodding. "Yes, I see what you mean. But how have I ch…"

Her voice tapered off as shouting echoed down the hallway and into the infirmary. It was Fayt and Cliff. Mirage and Nel's jaws involuntarily descended as they managed to make out some of what they were saying.

"They're fighting over you…" Mirage finally stated.

"Ohhh," the Killer muttered, the left side of his mouth drooping downward in a mixture of worry and guilt. He looked to be no more than 19 years old. At this moment, his hair was a dull champagne blond and it was spiked upwards in the front. His eyes were a very light brown, almost golden, and he had unusually long lashes for a male, complemented by thick lips and smallish pierced ears. He was wearing the usual Killer army uniform, which he was itching at with hands that contained five fingers and a thumb.

Mirage's eyes suddenly expanded. "Excuse me, I completely forgot to ask your..."

"...Name? It's John Paul. Or JP for short," he declared, extending a hand.

Mirage and Nel both ignored the gesture. "I have confidence in Cliff's decision to take you with us, but you'll have to earn our trust first," Nel commented in her cold yet friendly tone. "You must understand."

"Of course," he replied, looking dejectedly toward the floor.

At this point, Leila unexpectedly marched into the room with her hands on her hips, her cheeks looking especially pudgy. "I have a question for all of you," she assuredly announced. As they all stared at her in bewilderment, she walked up to Mirage first. "**What is love?**" she simply stated.

"Where did that come from?" the Klausian responded with a chuckle. Seeing the intensity of Leila's stare convinced her to continue. "Okay, let's see...I would say that love is loyalty...always being there for someone, through thick and thin, no matter what. It's unconditional."

Leila tapped a finger on her chin, contemplating Mirage's explanation. "Huh." She sauntered over to Nel and stood in front of her. "And what do you think Lady Nel?"

Nel glanced back and forth between Mirage and JP, disconcerted at being put on the spot with such a personal question. "Well, I believe in tough love, if you really want to know. It's shown through your honourable actions with other people, rather than something said in word. When I take an important and life-threatening task, or give one to someone else, that's the reason why."

Leila continued tapping and then cornered her last victim. "And what about you, mister?"

JP exhaled loudly and shrugged. "Love is an illusion…it's fleeting...we can never really find it, we're always searching...it glosses over deep-rooted problems between people..."

"Great! Thank you so much for your time everyone," Leila suddenly interrupted before speeding out of the room.

"Hey wait! I wasn't finished yet!"

--

With the Saviour headed for Midgard in order to save Dr. Zoda from accusations of fraternizing with the enemy, Sophia, Albel, Han, and Luke were passing time by chatting on the bridge. They had just heard the muffled voices of Fayt and Cliff yelling from down the hall. Albel wanted to make clear his opposition to Cliff's decision to allow JP on board.

"Fittir! The dim-witted doorknob! What was he thinking?" he grunted loudly while scratching the back of his neck. He motioned towards Sophia, who was sitting in the captain's seat. "And you! This lightning scorch you gave me is burning like a bitch!"

Sophia shrunk back in the chair, her eyes starting to quiver. "It wasn't my fault, Albel," she squeaked. "We were under a curse...but...I'm really really sorry anyways."

"Oh don't listen to him," Han bellowed dismissively, inspecting the damage on Luke's shoulder from Nel's daggers. "Albel, take a clue and stop being so miserable."

Luke struck a biting glare at the Elicoorian. "Albel's only happy when he's miserable," he deadpanned.

The bridge filled with silence for a few moments. And then Han and Sophia started laughing in a restrained manner, worried that full out hysterics would result in their untimely death.

Luke continued: "You're just riled up 'cause Sophia can give as good as she can take." He paused and briefly let his eyelids fall as Han caressed his fingers over and around his tender shoulder. "I guess it was the same with me and Nel…"

The expression on Albel's face imperceptibly softened and he knelt down beside Sophia to examine the spot where his katana grazed her leg. As he carefully removed her leggings, she affectionately ruffled up his hair. He tilted his head to look up at her, and Sophia suddenly thought she saw in his eyes something that said the battle between them had actually _turned him on_…

And then Leila entered the room. Without introduction, she marched straight over to Sophia to continue her survey. "Miss Esteed, can you please tell me what you think love is?"

Four pairs of confused eyes met each other before she answered, spurred on by the kid's earnestness. "Love is like they show it in the movies!" she began, her irises brightening. "Love is a many splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love!" she almost sang, pausing only to cup her hands together. "True love is when someone will do anything for you...cross oceans, move mountains..."

The shock on Albel's face was intensifying, to Sophia's delight. You see, he had a rather contrasting view of the subject. But he wouldn't say what it was. "What kind of question is that? If you think I'm giving you an answer, little maggot, you're mistaken."

Leila quickly moved on to Luke, grinning like a psycho, as Albel knelt deep in thought. _Love is never-ending pain and torture, especially when that love is viciously torn from your bleeding fingertips…it's sacrifice, fool, that's what it is. _

"You want to know what I think?" Luke asked, catching Han's hand within his own. "Love is belonging — when you're with someone and it feels like home, no matter where you are. It's that simple, Leila."

Han glared at her with a raised eyebrow. "What's this all about anyways, missy?"

"I'll tell you after you tell me your answer!"

"Fine," he conceded, waving her nearer. "Listen closely to the all-knowing Han," he cracked. "Love is **passion**. It's following your heart, wherever and to whomever it takes you. Other people love you when they champion your dreams and treasure your differences."

"Well said Sir Solo!" Leila chimed after he was done. "I've got two more to interview…" she proclaimed before bolting off the bridge and down the hallway.

"Leila! What about your side of the bargain?!"

--

"Cliff, how could you do this?!" Fayt shouted, standing on one side of their room and glaring needles at him. He was tired and short-tempered from the torment at the stadium on Titan and even angrier that more innocent people had been killed. "Why would you let an enemy on our ship? He'll ruin everything!"

The blond watched in masked amusement as Fayt's shoulders heaved from heavy breathing — the latter's eyes were as wide as coconuts and his mouth was tightly scrunched up. Cliff strode up to Fayt and gently grabbed him by the arms, shaking him a little and staring intently into his eyes.

"CHILL FAYT...it's okay buddy, listen to me. He probably saved all of us by warnin' me about the bomb. Y'know I couldn't leave him there to die after doin' something like that. Right...RRRIGHT?"

The bluenette relaxed his body a bit before breaking free of his boyfriend's grip. "Yeah, I guess," he admitted faintly, before raising his voice again. "But still, how do you know he won't read our minds and go straight back to the Killers' leadership with all our plans?"

"We can trust him, I know it!" Cliff asserted, matching the volume of the other's voice. "He told me he doesn't support what's happening. Y'know how oppressive those types of authoritarian societies are! Ya can't just paint everyone with the same brush!"

"What does painting have to do with it?!" Fayt shot back in jest. "You're just so damn impulsive sometimes. Try worrying a bit more for once!"

"C'mon, that's what yer for, remember?!" the Klausian countered. "This is the strongest hunch I've **ever** had."

Fayt glared in absolute incredulity at Cliff for bringing up his hunches again, before grabbing the pillow beside him on the bed and pelting it at the Klausian's face.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" the blond roared after the pillow sagged to the ground. He stepped up to Fayt so they were face-to-face. "Have a little confidence in me, eh?"

"I do!" Fayt replied, feeling the touch of Cliff's hot breaths against his face.

"Well, what're we fightin' about then?!"

They stared momentarily into each other's eyes, exploring, before leaning inward. Suddenly, they were making out in a desperate and frenzied fashion, hands needily stroking up and down the back of the other's head and neck. Fayt's mouth tasted so good to Cliff's eager tongue, his lips soft and juicy like a succulent summer fruit.

They had barely pulled apart when Leila strutted in.

"What can we do for ya, kid?" Cliff queried cheerfully, with one arm around Fayt's back and all memory of the argument forgotten.

"I need to know what love is," Leila candidly pronounced. "I'm asking everyone on the ship, and I'm wondering if one of you would know what Maria would say as well."

"That's a good question, ain't it Fayt?" the Klausian declared. The bluenette could tell by his tone of voice that the blond thought Leila was crazy, but that it was best to go along with it. Cliff continued: "Maria would definitely say that love's all about trust and honesty — knowing someone will never betray or force things on ya." He paused to look thoughtfully at Fayt. "Then again, from what I gather, Fayt's parents would say that love is pushing yer kids to do what they think is best for them." The Earthling nodded while biting his lower lip.

"But what about you, Cliffy?" Leila enquired, clasping her hands together.

"Ahh, well…" he began, his cheeks reddening as he batted playfully at Leila's pigtails. "I always thought true love was puttin' the person you love before yerself. Y'know, placing other people's happiness and feelings above your own, even when it hurts. Think giving, without a selfish care for somethin' in return…."

The bluenette's face softened. "That's really sweet Cliff. I didn't know you thought of it that way," he professed, fleetingly laying his head on the blond's shoulder. "My understanding of love is much bigger. I believe love is life itself. Without love, like the air we breathe, there is no living. It drives everything we do, it binds the universe together, and it is forever."

"Wow you guys, I need to go do some thinking." Leila thanked them and turned to leave.

Fayt stretched out a hand after her. "Leila, you were amazing back there. We love you."

She turned back just long enough for Fayt and Cliff to see her smiling eyes twinkle in the light.

--

"Cliff, I have something to show you."

Fayt motioned to the door of their room and flashed his pearly whites. He then grabbed the big guy's hand and dragged him down the hall.

The blond chuckled like a kid as he ambled along. "Are you gonna show me yer...wee wee?" He sounded eerily like Leila.

A single laugh emerged from the bluenette as he stopped just long enough to elbow the Klausian in the side. "Wow, on the scale of romanticism you're...yup...right up there at the top," Fayt teased, sticking his hand in the air. "We've got a few hours of peace and quiet before we arrive at Midgard. I intend to have you to myself until then. It's about time."

Cliff's mouth widened. "So YOU ARE gonna show me your p…!"

"SHUT-UP!" Fayt snapped, nostrils flaring as they passed the bridge. He waved to Sophia, who was the only one who saw them pass by. "This is serious, Cliff. We're together now."

"Oh, is it?" the Klausian mocked, pursing his lips and thoroughly enjoying himself. As they passed the infirmary, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind: "Doctor Leingod! Doctor Leingod! Can you relieve me of this terrible bulge in my pants?"

Fayt stopped dead in his tracks and spun around like a cyclone. His empty hand started glowing with symbology and Cliff knew he was bumping up against the bluenette's teasing limit. He loved it when this happened. "Are you on drugs?" the bluenette demanded, mildly concerned.

"Well, love is a drug isn't it?" the blond retorted, shrugging, with a victorious mirth in his voice.

The bluenette took some deep breaths and rolled his eyes in defeat. He finally grinned and went up to poke Cliff a few times in the chest. "You...are...HILARIOUS."

"Why thank you Fayt — glad ya noticed," he chimed back. "And you have a nice ass," he added after Fayt turned around and began pressing a few buttons on the control panel of the ship's simulator.

The Earthling shook his booty a little and turned his head to look over his shoulder at Cliff. His eyes were sharp with desire. "I've been working on this simulation ever since we got the Saviour. I made it with you and me in mind."

The door to the simulation deck slid open and they walked hand-in-hand from the bland ship into an autumn paradise. A fusion of fall colours flooded their eyes and the smell of cinnamon sticks and roasted pumpkin titillated their noses. They strolled forward through a grove of soaring deciduous trees bursting with the burning hues of a sunset. The gentle breeze was warm yet crisp, and it loosened great swaths of leaves from their branches and sent them dancing in splendid swirls around the two lovers. Two pairs of feet crunched across a cushiony layer of leaves, some imbued with a yellow more intense than lemon, some with a red deeper than blood. The oranges and browns were tantalizing — a florid feast for eyes that longed for nature's passionate and pungent colours in all their nakedness.

They emerged from the grove onto the edge of a tranquil lake with a surface as smooth as glass. The autumn foliage from the many trees reflected on the water between the sulking tufts of fog. Mountains rose up from the opposite side of the lake into the low hanging cloud and a handful of splendorous Japanese pagodas stood among the rainbow of trees and bamboo, their roofs outstretched towards the silvered sky. Nearby, on the shore of the lake, was an elegant white canopy tent framed with flowing silk fabric. A fantastic Japanese maple spread its arms over the canopy. In the centre of the tree the leaves were still emerald green and laced with a fire red along their edges; from there the colour exploded outward to its limbs through shades of saffron, ginger, and seductive sanguine. A veritable cornucopia of leaves fell all around the two like ceaseless psychedelic snow.

"Whoa kid...it's absolutely beautiful," Cliff said in awe. "What else can I say, huh? Yer amazing. How 'bout that? And y'know how I love the outdoors too."

Fayt patted some leaves off his bangs as he looked down in thought. "Ya, remember how great it was at the river on Midgard?"

The blond nodded. "But I wancha to know that really, I don't need all this. All I really need is right in front of me." And with that he hoisted Fayt into his arms without complaint and carried him over to the bed under the canopy, plopping him down on it. "And now, I wanna give **you** somethin' in return."

Fayt shifted to sit on the end of the bed, curling his eyebrows in response to his boyfriend's raunchy wink. This had to be good. And it was. Cliff began suavely swinging his hips from side to side and rocking his shoulders as he stood in front of Fayt. He ran his right hand through his golden hair from front to back, slicking his bangs backward. His smile was spreading upward on one side and a mischievous glint was evident in his eyes. As he reached for the zipper on his black shirt, the bluenette realized what he was witnessing. Cliff was giving him a striptease. _This is fucking awesome! _his dirty mind screamed

Fayt speedily removed his shirt and loosened his belt. Cliff slowly — painfully slowly — unzipped his own top, revealing those perfectly sculpted pecs and those defined washboard abs. He lasciviously licked the length of his upper lip and blew Fayt a loving kiss. The latter felt something stir to attention in his groin. Cliff continued his gyratory performance by swinging his shirt in circles like a lasso and suggestively running his other hand up and down his stomach and under the waist of his pants. He whipped the shirt in Fayt's direction and the bluenette caught it in mid-air before giving it a quick sniff. _MMMmmm, musky_. Sticking out his tongue and curving it downwards, the Klausian touched a finger to it, made a sizzling noise, and proceeded to rub the saliva around the rim of his erect nipples. An involuntary shiver ran through Fayt's entire body.

The pants came off next. Shoes went flying and Cliff's black pants were down before you could say 'Male Stripper!'. With nothing left on except his sexy and skimpy black briefs, Cliff moved closer to Fayt, butt first. The bluenette was in a little piece of heaven when the blond began to vigorously shake his bubble butt against Fayt's knees...then his thighs…and before he knew it he was getting a full-on lap dance. Cliff was holding his hands together way up in the air as he rubbed and rolled his ass up against Fayt's crotch. For a split-second, as his heart pumped fire into his face, the latter thought it would be funny to stick some of the Fol in his pocket down Cliff's undercrackers! He resisted and instead felt his cock growing harder than igneous rock, dying to explode from his pants. After receiving a hot smack on the ass, Cliff turned around and stood up again, and Fayt could see a giant bulge curving up towards the waist of the blond's undies. The striptease finished with the Klausian sticking his massive chest in Fayt's face so the latter could lick, taste, and kiss the groove between his ripped pecs.

By now they were both hot and flustered and any remaining pieces of clothes were peeled off like the skin of a banana. Fayt lay back on the bed with a groan and Cliff slid down over top of him, sucking his puckered lips and moving to nibble his ears. The blond's mouth made its way down Fayt's neck, over his lean chest, and to his silky smooth stomach. There it sensuously licked, tickled, smooched, and gnawed as the bluenette arched his back up and madly gripped and kneaded the blond's bulky biceps. Fayt's dick happened to be brushing up against Cliff's neck so the latter eventually slid upwards, so their cocks could caress against each other in mind-melting exhilaration. Trembling hands were run the length of Cliff's back, from his muscled shoulder blades, down the sweeping curve of his lower back, and over his lovely buns.

Fayt propped his head up off the bed with his elbows behind him and Cliff moved to kneel over his boyfriend's body, sticking the end of his cock into the other's mouth. Fayt felt a gentle fullness in his throat as his tongue and lips worked harmoniously over the warmth of Cliff's throbbing member. _God it's so good, I could have this for breakfast, lunch, second lunch, dinner, and dessert…_

The minutes pleasured by, until their eyes met, locked, and spoke of an unbridled and carnal yearning. It was time.

* * *

Yes, it is time for you to work for the yaoi. Next 2.5 paragraphs are too hot for fanfiction. If you want the NC-17 goodness type the following into your address bar: 4-quintessence(dot)livejournal(dot)com(slash)76418(dot)html and scroll down to the red squigglies at the bottom and read from there.

* * *

_I, I came here by day, but I left here in darkness  
And found you, found you on the way...  
And now, it is silver and silent, it is silver and cold  
You, in somber resplendence, __**I hold**_

_- Song by AFI: 'Silver And Cold'_

"I love you," Cliff whispered intently between kisses.

"I love you too."

A few falling burgundy leaves found their way under the canopy and landed on the chests of the two heaving lovers — they had found what love was.

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: There's the lemon, as I promised. Rather fun to write, I must say. Okay don't laugh at me, but I had to dance around a bit to make sure my descriptions of the striptease were correct! LOL. And you got to see a very childish Cliff before the lemon, oh man so childish. And you gotta love Fayt and Cliff's fight. Just great. The chapter is really left open to interpretation for the Leila 'what is love?' survey. Each character emphasizes a certain aspect of love that meshes with their personality (their perception of love), even though their real experience of love probably derives from descriptions others give of what love is. I've been asking Leila's question a lot lately.)


	16. Chapter 16: Of Betrayals & Odd Behaviour

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, tiny bit SomeoneElsexAlbel & HanxLuke

Rating: PG

Summary: Fayt & Cliff bathe in the afterglow of last chapter's 'exercise', but the bluenette can't relax since he's pushing aside his problems and opting for the hakuna matata illusion. Maria finally wakes up after the Titan episode...what does she remember? And then it's back to Midgard to save Dr. Zoda and Ally from accusations of luring the enemy from Mars. Have the Killers reached the planet yet? The crew is in for a huge shock when they arrive.

Shoutouts: Zelavril - AHH! Cold hands! BRRR. Btw, we got snow here today! YAY! Anyways, that's interesting the Killer leader reminded you of Voldemort. I like how you always point out these things and I go back to read my writing and I go 'YES! She's right, I never noticed that before!' Hehe. I thought you might be disturbed at what i did to Cliff last chapter! Haha you yelled like Kagura. SCARY. Yes, it was difficult doing that to him, and that's what makes it so much more powerful i think. I kept wincing when Fayt first attacked Cliff in my proofreads. lol. I'm not sure about the flashback thing. It's just supposed to be what actually happened in the past inserted into this future story. Anyway, chapter 16 is the shit so enjoy!

**Chapter 16:**

_He said 'Some days I feel like shit,  
Some days I wanna quit, and just be normal for a bit,'  
I don't understand why you have to always be gone,  
I get along but the trips always feel so long,  
And I find myself trying to stay by the phone,  
Cause your voice always helps me to not feel so alone,  
But I feel like an idiot, workin' my day around the call,  
But when I pick up I don't have much to say,  
So I want you to know it's a little fucked up,  
That I'm stuck here waitin', at times debatin',  
Tellin' you that I've had it with you and your career,  
Me and the rest of the family here singing:_

_**Where'd you go?  
I miss you so,  
Seems like it's been forever,  
That you've been gone,  
Please come back home...**_

_- Song by Fort Minor 'Where'd You Go?'_

----------------------------------------------------

A lavish lemon-coloured leaf landed unexpectedly on Fayt's bare stomach and he instantly inhaled in surprise and clutched his hand to his chest. He had been lying on the bed under the silk canopy with his eyes closed, unable to sleep. The fact that a silly leaf had startled him like that was greatly confusing. As his heavy breathing subsided and he looked around to make sure everything was 'normal', he realized his other hand had landed on Cliff's exposed buttcheek and that he was unconsciously groping it within his fingers. _How is it so perfectly round and bubbly?_ he pondered, with a hint of jealousy. Quickly retracting his hand with a smile, he turned to admire his sweetheart. The latter was sleeping soundly on his stomach, the snow-white sheets laying haphazardly across his burly back. Cliff's hand was resting up near Fayt's face so the bluenette gave the back of it a wet kiss, feeling the soft veins within his lips, and teased strands of Cliff's golden hair off his eyelids and around his ears. The Klausian looked so damn innocent when he slept, but Fayt knew he only slept this deeply around him and that normally the blond would awake at the slightest touch. Something Cliff had learnt from Quark, always snooze with one eye open, in case people like Albel attempt to attack you in the night.

Fayt started zoning out, letting himself relax into the pillow while staring aimlessly at the Klausian's neck markings. He had only slept a few hours, again. After another distressing and vivid nightmare, this one about his father's death, he hadn't been able to fall back asleep, even with all the yawning. It seemed all he had was nightmares lately, whether about Ameena and the Elicoorian war, the Hyda incident, or the terrifying battles on the Aquaelie. He was surprised he hadn't had one yet about the bombing on Titan. That was, after all, mostly his fault, right?

He wondered if he should tell Cliff about it. That it was worsening. That the feeling of numbness was intensifying, especially around people that reminded him of the past. It was so much easier to keep it all inside, not think about it, and hope it would go away. Why ruin the perfect moment between them? _Ha, perfect, right_, he mused as he noted a small black abyss on the hillside across the lake that signaled a visual error in the simulation he had created.

"Computer, what time is it?" he queried quietly, so as to not wake Cliff.

The cheery voice of the ship seemingly emanated out of the autumn sky. "It is still early: five o'clock, standard time."

He lay in thought for a moment, wondering what to do. "How is Maria?"

"Her life signs are stable and she is recovering well from her wounds. She just awoke five minutes ago."

_Hmmm, okay I'll go see how she's doing_. He slipped from the bed and put on his clothes, which were strewn about the area from the striptease show. Cliff had left him a nice gift from the night before: a sore ass. It was a good soreness though. A soreness only a sex god could give.

----------------------------------------------------

After a quick shower, Fayt headed for the infirmary. The sterility of the ship drove his mind back to the splendid simulation deck. Later, he would work more on his '20th Century Autumn in Old Japan' simulation, to fix that black hole in the hillside and add a shoreline to the lake. He and Cliff had found out the hard way that he had forgotten to program a beach for the lake when they went for a post-lovemaking swim. They were expecting to playfully run out into the water and instead they stepped off the grass and plunged into an extreme drop-off. Both disappeared under the dark water before surfacing again. That was a shock. At least they completely washed off the unusually large amount of semen from their earlier escapades.

He was jerked from his sticky thoughts as he turned the corner of the infirmary doorway. Maria was sitting up in the examination bed, reading the display panels showing her vital signs and the results of her scans. "MARIA!" Fayt shouted, racing over to give her a hug. Normally she would begrudge such an act, but she was truly happy to be back. She held her gown up around her with one hand and embraced the bluenette with the other.

"How are you feeling?" Fayt asked, looking her over. "You appear much better than when we first rescued you."

"Oh great, just fine Fayt," she succinctly declared, glancing around the room. "Where are my clothes...?"

"They're laid out in the bathroom. They had to be washed and mended — you should have seen how dirty they were."

"I guess I need to have a shower anyway," Maria replied, sniffing herself and cringing. Fayt enthusiastically nodded his head in apologetic agreement.

He hastily changed the subject. "So what happened to you? Why did you have all those bruises? What do you remember?"

Her eyes did a tumble and her lips tightened in response to his flurry of questions. "Slow down, Fayt. Good to see you're still the same though. But really, I don't remember too much to tell you the truth. The Killers tried to force me to use my powers to help them take over Titan, but I never gave in. Then they **tortured** me for a bit…" Fayt's expression grew exceedingly worried as she said this. "...But it wasn't anything too cruel," she quickly added. "I was in Quark, remember, I'm pretty tough if I may say so myself. At any rate, I can't recall much more than that — I'm sure it'll come to me later — other than they were running some tests on me until they discovered you were on your way to the moon. It probably would've gotten a lot worse, a lot faster if you guys hadn't saved me."

"Ahh, it was nothing," Fayt teased, tossing a hand in the air.

"That's something Cliff would say," she astutely observed while cracking a rare grin. "How much time have you been spending with him since Elicoor? Has he driven you crazy yet?"

The bluenette didn't reply. He simply turned beet red instead.

Maria looked satisfied. "You'll have to fill me in on these Killers, but from what I've learned, they aren't going to go down easy with that armour," she offered, never the hesitant one to get down to business. "Look at how far and fast they have spread through the Sol System. We've got to do something drastic...and soon. I'm thinking that in dealing with them, the end justifies the means…."

Fayt was quite taken aback by her sudden seriousness. Even though her bruises were practically gone, the area around her eyes was strangely sunken and blackish. "What do you mean?"

"Well, at this point, I think the only way we can stop them from spreading like a virus is to completely eradicate the planets they have infested...starting with Mars."

The bluenette's jaw dropped to the floor. "**WHAT!? **That's insane!"

"We'd probably just have to do Mars anyways," she continued, unperturbed, as she swooshed a hand gripping her gown in front of her like it was a broom. She came dangerously close to exposing herself with the gesture. "That would scare them enough to get them off the rest of the planets and onto spaceships where they're easier targets."

"That's ridiculous!" Fayt proclaimed, unswayed. "Umm, I'll find another way that doesn't involve killing anymore innocent people in the process. You know, I think you may have hit your head or something. You're the one who's a little crazy now, not me. What do your scans say?"

"They're fine, look, I checked them. I'm just saying we might have to do something big to prevent even more killing in the long run. Just think about it, okay? A pertinent example would be the dropping of the first atomic bomb, way back in World War II on Earth."

"Okay Maria, I get your point, but I don't think it's the right way," he asserted, shaking his head and resting a hand on his chest. He didn't really get her point, but he didn't want to argue anymore. "Well, we're almost at Midgard. I want you to meet Ally and Dr. Zoda. But first I want to tell you what we've been up to since we left Elicoor…"

----------------------------------------------------

"We're pulling out of gravitic warp," Mirage stoically announced to those gathered on the bridge. The warmly familiar planet of Midgard swiftly expanded from the size of a pea to fill the entire front viewscreen of the Saviour.

"This ain't right...where are the Killers?" Han wondered aloud, noticing not a single ship in orbit around the planet, apart from the space-station.

Luke shifted his weight where he was standing and scratched his chin. "Ya, I thought they were sending an invasion force since everyone thinks Dr. Zoda alerted the Killers to the fact you were there."

Cliff bristled. "Damn lies!" he exclaimed, giving Luke the evil eye. "Yup, scanners show they're on their way. Their arrival time's pegged at two hours. As this's the first time they've ventured outta the Sol System, I guess they're takin' their merry time."

"So what do we do?" John Paul asked, standing behind Cliff's chair and holding the headrest.

"I dunno yet, kid! Stop askin' me that! You've been following me around all mornin' ever since I got up askin' me what you're supposed to do. Can't y'think for yerself?"

Fayt rolled his brows and squinted one eye warily. "**He was?**" he slowly muttured.

JP backed away from Cliff. "Okay, okay, I get it...I'm sorry, I'll give you some room. But can you stop swearing at me, please?"

The rest of the crew looked at one another in puzzlement. Cliff wasn't swearing. Aloud at least.

Nel was the first to clue in. "Mind-reading," she mouthed to the others as she gestured towards her head. The others nodded in understanding as Cliff took a valley deep breath to clear his nettled thoughts.

Maria was staring thoughtfully at JP. "It must be hard to get used to people not always telling you what to do. No one will read your every thought here. You won't be punished for what you think. You're free from their iron grip."

The young Killer rubbed a hand against his forearm, like a cold chill had entered the room. "Yes, thank you Maria. It's just weird. I don't know what to do with myself...I guess I'm so used to being constantly controlled." As he tilted his head up to look at her his hair changed in waves from blond to brown. "I could get used to this freedom thing though," he continued, winking.

Mirage's console beeped notice of an incoming transmission. "It's Ally, I'm putting her though."

"_Fayt, Cliff, Han, and Luke! I'm so glad that you're back. We really need you down here right away. There's been a coup and I'm in a real bind. I'll explain it all when you transport down. Over and out."_

"WHHAAT?" Cliff bellowed in stupefaction, the exclamation rumbling across his tongue.

Fayt's leader instinct took over and his emerald eyes inflamed. "Maria and Nel, I want you to grab Albel and Sophia from the lounge and meet me in the transporter room. Cliff, let's go."

Everyone summoned started for the hallway except Maria, who had a strained look on her face. "I'm just remembering something that's really going to help us out here. I overheard some of the Killers on Titan bragging that they knew of your arrival because they had placed a long-range cloaked transmission wave generator on your ship."

Fayt and Cliff stopped and stared cluelessly at each other. The former spoke: "Meaning...?"

Maria stridently inhaled through her nose while Mirage chuckled quietly. "Put more plainly, they attached a tracking device."

Cliff smacked the centre of his forehead. "Hold up! Yer telling me…? All this time!? Shit, it all makes sense now. There must've been some o'those bastards left on their moon and they musta stuck it on the ship when we were down on their home planet. So…"

"...That's how they knew I was on Midgard and how they got the planet's coordinates," Fayt explained, finishing Cliff's thoughts. "Dr. Zoda had nothing to do with it. Now I wonder if our surprise encounter with the Liberty was really a surprise after all." The bluenette suddenly froze and slapped a hand over his mouth. "Oh my god...we went to Klaus too...they know where it is now...then to Elicoor…!"

"FUCK! This ain't good..."

"One thing at a time," Mirage prudently advised. "Luke, JP, and I will get into spacesuits and go out and search for that tracking device on the outside of the ship and deactivate it. You guys go and help out Ally so we can discuss our next move with Dr. Zoda. I'll also try to get in contact with Klaus."

Everyone knew what they had to do. Except for a certain someone. "HEY! WAIT A DAMN MINUTE HERE! What am I supposed to do in all this?" Han roared.

"Leila's in her room, sweetie. You get to stay and watch over her," Luke explained, grinning from ear to ear.

Han flung his arms outwards, mouth widening. "WHAT!? You're leaving me here with HER...**AGAIN!?**"

----------------------------------------------------

Fayt, Cliff, Nel, Maria, Albel, and Sophia materialized into the interior of a spacious, circular wooden building scattered with people hurriedly talking through headsets and staring fixatedly at the surfaces of several tables. The trunk of one of those massive Midgardian trees rose up through the centre of the structure. Guards were posted at the each of the four exits, and beyond the crew could see suspended timber walkways connecting to other homes in the trees. The room was filled with streams of sensational sunlight flooding in from windows on the curved walls. A wondrous humidity coddled their skin as Prime Minister Ally got up off a barstool nearby and came to greet them. She swept her curly auburn hair off her cheeks as she walked towards the crew, revealing temples that appeared rather raw from being overly massaged. She was clearly fatigued, but still as friendly as ever, smiling and laughing as Fayt introduced everyone to her — which was hardly needed since they were all famous across the galaxy already. _She hides her worry well_, the bluenette mused.

Sophia suddenly gasped as she finally figured out they weren't on solid ground after staring out a window for the entire introduction.

"Welcome to our impromptu command centre," Ally announced, outstretching her arms in a grand manner. "Let me fill you in on what's happened," she added, motioning over to the island bar she had been seated at.

They all followed her, sat on barstools around it, and were promptly served garden-fresh guava smoothies. While everyone else in the room was so absorbed in their work that they paid the famed guests no mind, the young male bartender who served their drinks was definitely star-struck by the wild-eyed look on his face. He was especially slow in serving Albel, splashing a splendiferous smile and winking flirtatiously before turning to leave. While the others sipped their refreshments, Albel stared at his suspiciously, gingerly poking it with his straw. Ally's bodyguards, who sat at either end of the bar, gestured politely to the newcomers.

Ally pointed to the countertop and the crew realized it was actually a computer display. On this touch-screen was a slowly spinning Midgard and she proceeded to press on the capital city of Vanatvia which brought up a real-time video of the scene at the parliament buildings, below them at the planet's surface, and other videos showing the preparations for the invasion. After hitting some more keys a headshot of an unfamiliar man popped up in one corner of the bar under her drink. Using her index finger, she dragged the image to the centre of the countertop so everyone could see.

"Very early this morning the leader of the main opposition party in our legislature, the Conservatives, took over control of the parliament buildings with a small group of armed party officials, effectively causing a coup d'état. Although it happened when the buildings were still mostly empty, he's locked everyone who was there inside. Unfortunately, Dr. Zoda was in there at the time in a meeting with the army and air force generals so they're all being held hostage. The military's centre of operations is inside those buildings so it is vital we get back in there before the Killers arrive…"

Ally suddenly paused and swirled in her seat before putting one finger in the air, and pressing on the headset over her ear. "Yes, go ahead. Uh huh. Uh huh. Okay. They're all in position? Excellent job. That's one less thing to worry about. Confirm that the space-station is ready for combat. I've got to go but update me once that's done." She turned back to her guests and exhaled loudly. "I'm sorry, we're trying to prepare for the invasion from here without the military leaders and I'm juggling that with figuring out his whole coup thing. Now where was I again…?"

"You were talkin' bout Dr. Zoda," Cliff reminded her as a parrot suddenly squawked noisily from outside. "But why would the leader of the opposition do such a thing, eh? Ain't chou a democracy?"

Ally adjusted her glasses and sighed before continuing. "His name is Kevin Quock and he's taking advantage of the turmoil this invasion has created. He's always hated how I run the planetary government, since I use a consensus style of governing and I share power among my ministers. He wants a strong hierarchical approach with everything going through the Prime Minister — a one person administration essentially. His party has been in opposition for so long I guess he's just had it. Plus...he thinks I'm in league with Dr. Zoda and that we're responsible for bringing the Killers here, so he believes I'm just gonna let them take over."

"This is terrible…" Fayt remarked, shaking his head. "But we do have some good news for you."

Maria then explained how the Killers got Midgard's coordinates. "...And so those accusations against Dr. Zoda are completely false."

Ally eyelids sunk and her head drooped forward before she looked back up with eyes aglow. "Oh thank heaven," she exclaimed. "So that's what happened." She turned to a woman working at a nearby table. "Kaylee! I need you to record Fayt's revelation and send it to the news agencies straight away."

The woman got up and shuffled towards them, activating the camera on her quad scanner. Fayt explained what really happened and emphasized that he had been working with Dr. Zoda to find the Killers' weakness. Interview complete, Kaylee dashed to the transporter pad and disappeared.

"So tell me Prime Minister, what are we up against here?" Nel soon inquired, focusing back on the coup.

"Well, Kevin has activated the shields around the parliament buildings so we can't just march in there and take it back, let alone communicate with the people inside. The military is firmly on my side, so we're okay in that respect, but they're already in position for battle and there are few troops to spare for this operation. The majority of Midgardians are outraged this has happened, and will be even more so as news of Dr. Zoda's innocence spreads, likely restoring their full confidence in me. We're working on a plan to get in there, but I'm afraid we'll run out of time…" she confessed, glancing over at the staff members bustling about the room.

"Enough. Of. This. Endless. Dithering!" Albel suddenly shouted haltingly, banging his fist on the countertop. Ally stared at him in bafflement as the others simply covered their faces with their hands. "I've got a smart idea maggots, let's go outside and take a look at the situation first-hand. More action, less talk!" Albel wasn't just tiring of the discussion, the bartender's endless ogling was really creeping him out.

----------------------------------------------------

Fayt, Nel, and Sophia peered off the edge of the suspended wooden walkway they were standing on, gripping the railing tightly and looking down at the planet's surface below. The humongous branches that held the walkway stretched out over the central square of Vanatvia, a wide-open area consisting of the space port and parliament buildings at one end and a shopping mall and blitzball stadium on either side. Right below them was the shimmering surface of the shield —forming a dome over Parliament — and a spattering of soldiers pacing along its outer limit, ostensibly searching for a hole in it. To their left, protesters were gathering outside the shield in the square and jeering at a giant floating holoscreen in front of the mall that had just filled with Kevin's face.

"He's taken over the public broadcasting channel!" Ally shouted to her staff inside the command centre. She had been standing at the door chatting with Cliff. "Notify the Minister and try to cut the signal!"

Fayt tore his gaze away from the protesters and focused on the area under the shield. _What the…? It's him! He's broadcasting from right there! _Kevin was standing at a podium outside the entrance to Parliament, speaking animatedly to a crowd of people gathered in the small plaza in front of him — which was directly underneath Fayt, Nel, and Sophia. _How did they get in...?_

They were low enough to hear what he was saying. "My fellow Midgardians, this is a time of great anxiety. Within two hours we will be attacked by an enemy lured here by Dr. Zoda and Prime Minister Ally. We cannot trust a government that has been in contact with Mars to defend us against invaders from the same planet! As such, I have taken the unprecedented measure of removing the corrupted Ally from office and I will lead us into this war instead. Let me assure you: Midgard will prevail!" As he shook a fist in the air the crowd in front of him cheered tumultuously.

Fayt suddenly noticed that Maria and Albel had started talking in low voices to each other and were moving towards another walkway. They kept glancing over to see if Ally was watching them. _Strange..._

He jolted his gaze back to the surface as Kevin continued his speech. "Now that I am in charge, the duplicitous Dr. Zoda will finally be brought to justice! This man has committed an unspeakable crime by consciously aiding the enemy and betraying his world. For this treacherous act, the most terrible of sins…" he began pounding the podium as his voice rose to a shriek, "…He WILL be CHARGED for **TREASON!**"

The word echoed across the plaza and central square as it sunk into the minds of those listening.

"TREASON!?" Cliff roared in utter disbelief, pummeling his fist into his palm. "This is ludicrous! If anybody's gonna be charged for treason it should be you, asshole!"

Fayt had begun trembling and he felt his blood beginning to simmer. And that's when he realized something. Albel was on his way down to the surface, on a nearby elevator. "ALBEL! GET BACK HERE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he screamed hysterically.

Too late. He was on the surface now, sprinting past the protesters and straight to the edge of the shield. Cliff and Nel tried hitting him with Stun spells but they were so high up the streams of sparkling sorcery missed him. Suddenly, Fayt's interview began playing on another holoscreen in the square, in front of the stadium, above a banner that screamed 'Breaking News'. The bluenette heard Ally's great sigh of relief. But his gaze was glued on Albel. The Elicoorian was lifting one hand, about to place it on the shield. To Fayt's astonishment, Albel's hand went straight through the shield and he proceeded to walk right through it. But there was a very familiar rune symbol vanishing behind him...

"**MARIA!!**" Fayt cried, his voice hoarse. She had used her power of Alteration to allow Albel to pass through the barrier. Cliff whisked over and seized her arms, staring at her in trepidation.

They all watched helplessly as Albel zig-zagged through the cheering crowd in front of Kevin. Fayt, Nel, and Sophia inched along the walkway, following the man below as he skillfully weaved and ducked around bodies and towards his target. The people leaping and throwing their hands in the air barely noticed he was there — he moved past them with such speed that he appeared as nothing more than a transitory shadow in the mellow mid-day sun. "This is a new era, my friends, and we will purge the government of this pestilence and win this…GUAARRDS!!" Albel had reached the podium. Within a single second, he had masterfully drawn his katana from its sheath, and as blinding sunlight flared off the engravings of his sword he sadistically sliced both of Kevin's guards into crimson chaos. The crowd screamed.

"My god…" Fayt, Nel, and Sophia gasped simultaneously, briefly averting their eyes.

Kevin stumbled backward and started summoning a symbology in defence. Albel, high off blood, leapt off the mutilated body of one of the guards and soared high into the air above the rogue leader, drawing his katana above his head so that it appeared to pierce the sun itself, the sound of the throbbing heart in front of him enticing his sword to its final destination…

**TO BE CONTINUED :O!**

(A/N: WHOA! Crazy stuff going on. I hope you can keep track of all the storylines. This chapter was really fun to write. But VERY challenging and time-consuming as I wasn't sure how much detail to include - or how much was necessary - since i hadn't intended on the events in this chapter to be so compelling and involving! Haha, my first political thriller :D Poor Sophia, all her lines from this chapter got cut!! HAHA. Did you like how Fayt was 'jerked' from his 'sticky' thoughts. choice words there. Lastly, Kevin truly thinks he's doing the right thing. If your leader is accused of colluding with the enemy at a time of war, you can see why he did what he did.)


	17. Chapter 17: An Albel Assassin Coup

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke

Rating: PG

Summary: Albel and Maria's disloyal and disturbing antics are stressing out poor Fayt to the max as he tries to get everything under control, including the coup d'état. Cliff seems to be the only light among the darkness. As Fayt deals with the problems of others, he fails to notice what's taking hold of himself, as Sophia and Nel **try** to point out. With the Killers about to invade Midgard, they need a breakthrough before time runs out...

Shoutouts: Zelavril - Where've you been hiding Zelly? I'll be sending some more Fresh Sage your way soon so keep an eye out. Or maybe I'll just send Sophia since she has the Restoration spell! You better watch out! Haha, so how's your writing going? Things are sucking here as winter is dragging on and it will NOT stop raining! Yay february depression :( I can't stand it anymore, I'm moving to somewhere where the sun comes out more than one or two times a month, thank you. I bought the Star Wars Trilogy and watched it again so i'm hoping to have more HanxLuke in the next chapter, I know i've been neglecting them :D

**Chapter 17:**

The pounding of his heart was deafening, muffling out all other noise in the gymnasium. _Tha-thump, tha-thump. _His eyes darted back and forth across the busy scene in front of him, desperately scanning the crowd as they took their seats — all those proud mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers. The light-headedness was getting to him and he had just broken into a gentle sweat, his cerulean hair becoming itchy against his scalp. He needed to scratch it, just a little bit, but his black cap prevented him from doing this, so he swore under his breath and bore the strands of burning blue flame. Time ticked by and he soon realized the person sitting next to him on the bleachers was speaking...

"_...who's here! Hey man! Look! I haven't seen her in ages. That's so cool. Yo, where is your..._"

The voice faded. He was pretending to listen as his friend babbled on, but his heart wasn't into it — by now he was completely off in his own world. He continued frantically searching up and down the aisles, his thighs suddenly becoming uncomfortably warm from instinctively rubbing his hands along them over and over and over. Soon murmuring was all that filled the room. The ceremony was about to start, everyone was seated, the entrance was about to be sealed. _NO! A few more minutes...they're gonna be here… _Yes, he could see them now, slipping in through the closing door as they promised, laughing at their maddening penchant for being **just** on time. "_We'll always be there for you, one hundred percent…_"

Nope, his eyes were playing tricks on him again.

The muscles in his chest suddenly tightened and he abruptly came back to reality, his senses opening and allowing his surroundings to flood back in. All that noise and light and smell, hurting and violating him, tangled in with endless disappointment. His eyes were now growing itchy, and he averted them to the floor. The braid on his cap dangled down and grazed his face and he soon found himself unable to stop sniffing his nose. He noticed his sneakers poking out of the bottom of his black gown.

The principal was at the podium below, beginning his speech. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the Class of Seven Hundred and Seventy..."

It was official: his own parents had missed their son's high school graduation. But he didn't know they hadn't intended on this. They had narrowly missed the transport from their research station on Moonbase back to Earth. You know how it is…it's easy to lose track of time. Especially when you want to. And when seeing your own son makes you guilty, makes you want to delay, to avoid, to bury yourself in your work, anything to put off telling him the truth...it hadn't been this bad before...but now that he was growing up and graduating there was no longer any excuse…

--

_Pity, my friend, but this is where your story ends_. Blood rained down in bursts along Albel's arm and splattered onto the squealing people in the front row. The warm summer showers stained the podium and shone cerise in the deathly sunlight. After the spurts of liquid life had ceased and Kevin's last breath was just a memory, Albel removed his sword from the coup leader's chest in one smooth motion, allowing the latter to collapse to the ground in a pool of the reaper's wine. The smell surrounding him was intoxicating — sweet and exhilarating — and the Elicoorian paused to savour the bloodbath in a drunken state of sadism. Kevin's supporters were scrambling away from the scene and towards the edge of the shield, banging against the barrier in hope of escaping Albel's wrath. They needn't worry though. Albel's appetite had been satisfied, bringing him back a sense of control and purpose. He swiftly spun around, his long blond-dipped hair soaring outwards from his neck, and glared into the camera in the plaza that was still broadcasting live on the public network.

"This will be nothing compared to when the Killers arrive," he spat, his eyes pure fire and brimstone. Turning back to the entrance of the parliament buildings, he stepped over the severed arm of one of the guards and marched inside, clenching and releasing his artificial hand while drops of blood from his katana stalked his path.

As Albel disappeared from view, Fayt, Nel, Sophia, Cliff, and Ally stared down in stunned silence from their vantage point in the trees. A cute chimpanzee randomly waddled past the group and climbed onto a nearby branch.

"That psychotic, good for nothin'...moronic little fucker!" Cliff bellowed, unable to find words strong enough to express himself as fully as he would have liked. "What's he playin' at?"

Maria's gaze never left her feet as she tried to explain, some of her blueberry hair dangling before her face. "Fayt, I'm sorry, we were running out of time, the Killers will be here soon and I thought this was the only way…"

Ally interrupted, holding her hands out in front of her. "But you can't just go around killing people whenever it suits you! We don't do capital punishment on Midgard — you know that! We would have found another way to get back into Parliament."

Fayt turned to face the others and they could see that he was absolutely fuming. His ears had turned rose-red behind those velvety azure locks, his teeth were clenched, and his nostrils flared. "**You** planted this idea in Albel's head?" he began with an eerie, forced calm. Maria nodded. "This time Maria, you've stepped way over the line…**DO YOU HEAR ME?!**"

She nodded again and reached out towards him in a conciliatory fashion. "Yes, but Albel will have the shield down any moment. It's like I told you before, the ends justifies the means…"

"NO IT DOES NOT!" Fayt screamed back, enraged. "That's not the way we do things. We work as a team, Maria, with the tacit promise of always deciding things together. You and Albel have betrayed me, Ally, and everyone else by taking this into your own hands," he dangerously declared, clenching a fist so tightly it trembled. "AND A BETRAYAL OF A PROMISE IS THE WORST THING IMAGINABLE!"

"Fayt, calm down," Cliff anxiously urged, as the bluenette's increasingly amplified shouting echoed throughout the forest. He strode over to stand behind Fayt and lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder, squeezing it ever so slightly. The support was appreciated, but nothing short of a tranquilizer dart could break the bluenette from his irate state.

"**GO BACK TO THE SHIP NOW!** Cliff and I will be having another word with you once we're done down here," Fayt ordered, his voice still seething with acrimony. He activated the communicator on his wrist and asked Mirage to beam Maria up to the Saviour.

"Fayt, you know I'm right," she portentously muttured as the turquoise beam of the transporter engulfed her and she vanished.

The bluenette immediately twirled around and buried his face in Cliff's chest, clutching the bottom of his lover's black shirt for support as his legs suddenly felt weak. "I can't deal with all this right now...why would they go and do that...I thought we could trust them…"

Cliff patted him gently on the back. "It'll be alright, kid. Albel's always been like that, y'know?" he reasoned with an unusually soft and comforting tone. "Although, I actually thought we'd straightened him out a bit since he joined us, but I guess he needs a little reminder of who's boss," he grunted, winking and clenching his hand against Fayt's back. "We'll deal with him later. As for Maria, I can't wrap my head around it…"

One of the staff members from the command centre suddenly appeared at the nearby doorway. "Prime Minister! We need you inside right away!"

With much energy, Fayt tore himself from Cliff's embrace and turned to face Ally. His cheeks decided they needed to turn burgundy to show that he was embarrassed from his little breakdown. She managed a small smile and whispered 'I'll be back' before heading into the building.

Cliff started after her. "Yo, I'm gonna go see what's up. You two keep an eye on him for a minute," he instructed Nel and Sophia. "Holler if the shield goes down." He dashed along the wooden walkway after Ally.

Nel and Sophia had decided to stay out of the drama with Maria — though they were on Fayt's side — and had instead been studying the scene below them at the surface. Fayt joined them along the railing and peered off the edge of the suspended walkway again. Some of the protesters gathered in the central square were dispersing, seeing as Kevin was dead and the broadcast of the bluenette's interview had exonerated Dr. Zoda and Ally. These people were walking up the timber bridges that connected the square to the surrounding trees or taking the elevators back up to their homes. He noticed the giant holoscreen in front of the mall was blank, indicating the signal from the camera that had filmed Kevin's assassination had finally been cut.

"Someone needs to clean that up soon," Nel commented, referring to the bloody mess Albel had made. "I think it's really traumatizing those people stuck inside the shield…"

"Fayt?" Sophia suddenly interrupted, staring at him worriedly. "When you said a betrayal of a promise is the worst thing…were you just referring to what Maria and Albel did...or to something else?" she queried. "It was just the way you said it."

He turned to face her and mindlessly tapped his fingers on the hilt of his sword hanging from his belt. _She's good — she knows me too well_. As he thought back to the event that he had been referring to, curious sensations started to suddenly take over his body. His heartbeat began to palpitate wildly and he felt the hand over his sword quaver inexplicably. "Do you...remember our...graduation, Sophia?" he asked with difficulty.

Her eyes widened and she let out a soft 'oooh'. She did recall him saying something about his parents betraying their promise during that ceremony. But why did he react so strangely at any mention of his family? "Fayt, I'm worried about you," she finally stated, looking to Nel for support.

"Yes, we're both concerned for you," Nel affirmed, uncrossing one arm and flipping her palm skyward. "Since we've been gone, have you had a chance to talk to Cliff about your dad's death or the fact your mother is missing and may be gone as well? You wouldn't say a word to us about it after the incident. It's part of the grieving process Fayt, you need to deal with what happened and talk it through with someone, instead of ignoring it."

_How dare she?! _was his immediate and infuriated response. _I don't want to think about those things. It hurts too much. Look what happened last time I tried that...I almost ended up jumping off a cliff! No, no, _"**NO!** I DON'T WANT TO! **LEAVE ME ALONE!**" he suddenly exploded, leaving Nel and Sophia completely stunned. While his entire body was heating up like a furnace, sharp lightning pulses of pain were forcing their way through his veins as he tried to banish thoughts of his parents from his mind. Losing control of himself, he summoned an Air Raid symbology in frustration and the quiescent air around them began to anger, spiraling into a vortex to match the maelstrom in Fayt's mind and sending a small whirlwind smacking into Nel and toppling her to the ground.

Sophia glared at him as her raised eyebrows formed waves of wrinkles across her forehead. "Fayt, stop it! What are you doing? She's right! We wanna help you…"

"NO! You liars!" he cried, flinging a hand in front of him and narrowly missing Sophia's face. The branches nearby were still swaying strongly from the lingering incantation. "You hid from me that I tried to kill myself! And now you're forcing me to think about things I don't want to! **G-O A-W-A-Y!**" By now he was having difficulty breathing and his recent failure to get a proper sleep was catching up to him. He managed to activate his communicator and demanded that Mirage transport Nel and Sophia to the ship.

The two women vanished in a plume of radiance, but not before Nel shouted "Cliff!" at the top of her lungs.

Fayt stood there, leaning against the railing for support, wanting to cry but unable to. A numbness like he had never felt before gripped his body, making his head woozy and his eyesight misty. It felt as though his throat was closing so he gasped for breath, hand over neck, and suddenly realized he couldn't hear anything. The last thing he saw before he collapsed was a blurry Cliff sprinting down the walkway...

--

_Oh no. Goddammit! Fayt, don't do this to me! _Eyes glinting like treasured twin sapphires sharpened by signs of tribulation, the Klausian lunged forward and caught his sweetheart in mid-fall, holding his limp body before him. Leaning his head down and pressing his ear against Fayt's chest, Cliff listened for a heartbeat. The bluenette was out cold. He took one hand and brushed it across Fayt's sweaty forehead, tracing his fingers down the other's temple and along his jaw line, whispering tenderly to him: "Fayt, Fayt, c'mon...please...I'm here...wake up."

The Earthling moaned quietly and turned his head to one side but didn't awake. Cliff panicked for a split-second, scanning his surroundings, wondering where Nel and Sophia had gone. _What happened out here?_ he pondered fretfully, the butterflies doing summersaults in his stomach. _Dude, calm down, it looks like he'll be okay. I better take him outta the sun_. He pressed his lips against Fayt's rose-petal cheeks — hoping a true love's kiss might help — and then stood up and effortlessly held the bluenette with both arms, one supporting his neck and the other his lower back.

As he strolled up the walkway to the command centre, he suddenly heard a commotion from down below. He paused and gazed over the railing. "That bastard did it!" he muttured incredulously to himself. The shimmering shield over the parliament building had vanished and the soldiers in the square were running towards the structure and heading inside.

At this exact moment, a wailing siren sounded from the space port followed by an announcement: "_Attention Midgardians. The invaders will arrive in __one hour__. Please return to your homes. All travel to and from the space port is now suspended and the planetary shield will be raised shortly_."

"What's going on?" Fayt weakly questioned, his voice quivering.

Cliff looked down and sighed relief now that his boyfriend was awake. "Fayt, ya scared the shit outta me goin' and fainting like that," he lightheartedly teased, staring deep into those emerald eyes. "How're ya feeling?"

"Dizzy," was his only response. "And you?"

"Well, I just had a heart attack and almost died so it's a damn good thing we Klausians have nine lives, don't cha think?" the blond joked, grinning stupidly.

Ally's voice cut short their conversation: "Cliff! Fayt! The shield's down and we've got Parliament secured. The transporter's waiting. Let's..." She abruptly stopped when Cliff turned around and she saw he was carrying Fayt. "Umm, Cliff, why are you…?"

Fayt and Cliff stared at each other, trying to keep a straight face. "Ahh...Fayt's too, ahem, famous to be walking everywhere," the blond improvised. "He always wants me to carry him. It's a tough life."

"No really, what's going on? Is he okay?"

"Well if y'really wanna know...", the blond sighed and lowered his voice to a harsh whisper, inching closer to her as if he had a big secret, "...it's that time of the month," he blurted, eyes fearful, nodding his head in Fayt's direction.

"You butthole!" the bluenette shot back, smacking him hard across the stomach before a sneaky grin erupted. "That was last week."

--

"We're really down to the wire now," Ally professed, glancing around the meeting room.

Cliff and Fayt found themselves in the newly reclaimed parliament buildings. The army and air force generals were gathered around the table, as well as Ally's top staff members and Dr. Zoda. Mirage, Leila, Luke, and Han had been brought down from the Saviour for the meeting while Albel had been transported back up as soon as the shield went down and confined to his room like Maria.

"Generals, get to work on the final preparations for battle. We'll raise the planetary shield as soon as Fayt and his friends have left. Good luck."

The military leaders exited the room. Ally continued: "I'm sorry everyone, but I won't be able to stay for your meeting with Dr. Zoda. I'm off to the public broadcaster to update the populace on what's happened. So, I guess this is goodbye…"

"Hang on a second!" Han boldly interjected. "Just where are we racing off to anyways?"

"Dr. Zoda will fill you in on everything," she replied, tilting her head and looking at him above the rim of her glasses.

"Hey! Whaddabout Albel's asinine antics?" Cliff inquired, hopes rising. "Can we ditch him 'ere for you to deal with? Huh? Can we?"

"Don't worry about that right now. We have bigger fish to fry. After this war we'll sort it all out. He may be ruthless, but you'll need him in the days ahead."

Cliff folded his muscular arms, lips pouting, and hissed in the direction of his shoulder. Chuckling, Ally hastily shook everyone's hands and parted the room with her team.

"Well, it's good to see you all again," Dr. Zoda began, rising from his chair and walking to a computer panel on one side of the room. "I see the illustrious Mirage Koas has joined us," he added, bowing slightly in her direction as she instinctively bowed back. "First off, I must sincerely express my gratitude for clearing up those accusations against me. But as time is short, let's get right down to business." They all took seats around the table and watched as Dr. Zoda brought up the outline of Leila's body scan.

"HEY! That's me!" Leila noisily announced, pointing emphatically at the display. "Guess what Yoda? We found out why they're so afraid of me," she added, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair with a smug expression. "Whenever I'm close to those Thought Killers, I scare their pants off!"

Han groaned and buried his face in his hands. Luke decided to clarify things as he patted Han on the back. "Umm, Leila, actually his name is ZODA, with a zed," be began, drawing a little 'Z' in the air with one finger. "And you don't scare their pants off literally, you disable their natural armour."

"Aha, I see now," Dr. Zoda replied in an epiphanous manner. "That is what this strange section of your DNA does," he said, pointing at it on the monitor. "This is the breakthrough we've been looking for." He paced back and forth, rubbing his chin. "With a sample of her blood I will be able to create an airborne virus specific to the Killer species that can spread through their kind and disable their amour en masse. It will have no effect on other humanoids."

"Brilliant!" Cliff proclaimed, slamming a fist down on the table. "Exactly what we need. Once this baby's ready for action all we gotta do is infect a few o' them and the virus'll take care of the rest. Piece of cake."

"A virus though?" Fayt questioned apprehensively. "Isn't that a little risky?"

"I'm with Cliff here," Mirage remarked as she fiddled with her gauntlets. "This is the only way to take advantage of Leila's gift. We can't ferry her around to each planet in the coming war. Plus, the science of viruses is quite advanced now."

"I guess you're right. If this works it will really turn the tide for us."

"Okay then, I'll get to work on it and with a little luck I'll have it done within the week," Dr. Zoda promised. "In the meantime, Ally and I have a final mission for you that will ensure we defeat these Killers once and for all." He straightened his lab coat and took a deep breath. The crew could sense he was about to reveal something momentous. When he spoke again, his voice had taken on a mesmeric storytelling quality: "There is a planet...in the far reaches of the Gaia system...that does not appear on **any** galactic maps. Not even the old Federation leaders possessed knowledge of this world. A device was installed in its orbit long ago that scrambles any scanners...so it appears as if nothing is there."

Cliff sat up straight and rested his elbows on the table. "Get outta here! You're pullin' our legs...! Seriously? C'mon then, what's so top secret about this planet, eh?"

"You see, this world is home to the most powerful symbology ever discovered. The Midgardian government has always maintained that such magic must never risk falling into the wrong hands — so it stays there, sacred and safe. But we have never been faced with an enemy as powerful as the Killers before. Thus, we believe the situation warrants its use. You must go and retrieve this sorcery, you must go and retrieve...**Apocalypse**."

Wallowing in a pool of shock, everyone glanced back and forth at each other. "What does it do?" Fayt finally ventured.

"Apocalypse is unlike any other symbology: it is an intelligent magic. It discerns who the enemy is and targets only them, without any direction from the caster. Furthermore, it's range of effect is worldwide. With such a spell we could purge entire planets of the Killer infestation, which is currently quite impossible as the Killers are intermingled among innocent people."

The communicator on Dr. Zoda's wrist beeped with a message from Ally. "I'm sorry, but our time together is up," he announced. "They have to raise the planetary shield so you must now transport to your ship. I'll download all the information you'll require to your quad scanner. But, there is one more thing you need to know…"

The door to the room slid open and in walked a tall woman and a shorter man, both jubilant at the sight of Leila.

"MOMMY! DADDY! YOU'RE HERE!" she shrieked in glee, scuttling over to give them huge hugs. Tears ran in rivulets down her chubby cheeks. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"It's okay darling, we would have searched the entire galaxy until we found you, and now we have."

The crew wordlessly watched the reunion with smiles of delight and watery eyes. Dr. Zoda eventually spoke: "We'll keep them safe here until you return."

"Absolutely," Mirage stated warmly. "I've got so much to tell her parents about how brave Leila was."

With their heads full of questions, Fayt and his team thanked Dr. Zoda and wished him well. One thing was sure in their minds. Midgard would withstand the Killers' invasion. It had to.

--

"So tell us Fayt, what's the plan?" Nel inquired, now that everyone was back on the bridge of the Saviour, minus Albel, Maria, Han, and Luke (all in their rooms).

No response. The bluenette continued staring out the front screen from his captain's chair, gazing down at Midgard and checking that the planetary shield had successfully activated.

Sophia cleared her throat. "Fayt! Can you please fill us in on what's going on?"

Again no response. Nel and Sophia exasperatedly looked over at Cliff, hoping for his intervention. "Fayt, why're ya ignorin' them?"

The bluenette twisted around to face the blond and scrunched up his nose. "What are you talking about? I'm not ignoring anyone, silly."

John Paul spoke up, sensing something serious was going on. "It's almost like he doesn't even hear them…" he enigmatically whispered to Cliff.

Mirage was in the co-captain's seat. "Where is the Midgardian star fleet?" she asked Fayt. "The Killers will be here any moment." There was still not a single ship in Midgard's vicinity, except for the space station.

"That's a good question. Ally must have something up her sleeve," he replied thoughtfully.

Cliff shook his head, confused as hell on multiple levels. "At any rate, let's get outta 'ere ASAP. Mirage, prepare for the jump to gravitic warp."

"We're not gonna stay for a bit and try to help them out?" she answered, uncomfortable that they were so readily abandoning Midgard.

"We don't wanna get caught up in the middle of this. Dr. Zoda clearly told us to skedaddle — he's relying on us to get this mission done."

"Yeah, but…" Mirage began to protest.

"Too late," Fayt declared. "Looks like they're already here..."

**TO BE CONTINUED! PLEASE REVIEW!**

(A/N: Wow chapter 17 already. I can see the ending now and I'm thinking there will be at least 3 more chapters. This secret planet is gonna be quite cool, lots of fantasy stuff. So what the hell is up with Maria? And especially Fayt? Mhaha, you'll have to wait and see. I love it when Fayt calls Cliff a butthole. I'm not sure why :D! By the way, Fayt doesn't actually have periods. Just thought I'd clear that up. Maybe male PMS though. Oh and also, I'm not writing this about myself. My parents did attend my graduation :D)


	18. Chapter 18: Koas, Kisses, & Chimeras

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke

Rating: R for dirty fun

Summary: Fayt, Cliff, and crew find themselves caught smack dab in the middle of an all out war between Midgard and the Killers. Mirage decides this is a good time to play mind games with Cliff (when is it not?). On the way to the secret planet to get the Apocalypse magic, it's time for a deteriorating Fayt to deal with the betrayors within the group, namely Albel and Maria. Then, wow, just wow. Major deja vu for our two stars.

Shoutouts: **I'M BACK!** Zelavril - Anyone who wants to read my lemons ten times is a star in my books! Woohoo, Cliff is the perfect male stripper! I am so flattered that you think it's like I actually wrote the script for the game. That makes my story all the more realistic as a post-game scenerio! Sweet. Glad you liked the autumn paradise. I really wanted to contrast the blandness of the ship with what Fayt had come up with for the simulation. I'm really proud of that short, but intense description. I actually got inspiration from the movie 'Hero'. Not Japanese, but that's okay. I was so moved by the use of colours in that film. Anyways, kinkyness :O! Spectralwings - It has been freaking forever! I'm glad you dropped by. I'm super great cuz i'm all done university now! I'm getting my degree in communications in June. Thanks again for the great FaytxCliff sketch! Sakura999 - Thank you SO much for reviewing! It's nice to know people appreciate the work I put into this story. And it means a lot that you like how I portray Fayt since he is such a complex character and sometimes hard to write. Thanks for the Just Expressing idea. I'll think about it in the future.

**Chapter 18:**

Silence fell upon the bridge as everyone gazed out the front screen, their shoulder muscles involuntarily tightening, their bodies frozen in place. One by one, Federation ships piloted by the Killers burst out of warp in blinding flashes, like each was a newborn star — a menacing star. They kept coming, more and more ships, and even the asteroid ships Fayt and Cliff had seen when they had first encountered the Killers were birthing alongside the Federation ones. It was almost _pretty_ watching all those flashes illuminating here and there in the abyss of space and Fayt half expected symphonic music to suddenly start playing in synchronization with each fresh spark of light. _A beautiful show, that's all it is_.

Cliff's holler yanked him from his daydreams. "**SHIELDS!**"

And suddenly the light show stopped and the full weight of the situation sat itself on Fayt's head. The mass of ships in front of them was slowly moving towards Midgard now, every single one firing without restraint at the embattled planet and its space station. _WHERE IS THE FLEET? _the bluenette's mind screamed._ What is..._

"LOOK!" John Paul abruptly exclaimed, pointing out the viewscreen.

Out of the blue, the celestial starlight show started up again.

"Oh fuck," Cliff instantly muttered, hanging his head down and shaking it side to side. "Gimme a break — there's more?"

Fayt's lips curled upward as Ally's plan finally untangled itself in his mind: The new ships arriving weren't Killers ships. They belonged to Midgard. The planet's entire starfleet was materializing in a bombardment of brilliance. "They're trapped!" he triumphantly announced, referring to the Killers' invasion force. "She had the fleet hide somewhere and then warp in after the enemy arrived to block them in and attack them from all angles."

Indeed, an array of phase fire had begun streaking up from the planet's surface at the Killer ships, and the space station was sending out sweeps of quantum torpedoes. Soon all the crew could see was a mind-boggling storm of weaponry shooting back and forth like a wicked laser show. The Saviour suddenly shook like an earthquake, signaling that the Killers had finally noticed the ship and were firing on it.

"Well that's enough of that," Cliff bellowed, tapping his foot on the ground. "This show's over for us. Hit it Mirage!"

"Roger."

She initiated the warp engine. The ship slowly turned away from Midgard and was about to enter hyperspace when a massive Federation ship came out of warp directly in front of them.

"CANCEL! CANCEL!" Cliff cried, swinging a husky arm.

The Saviour leapt forward and then stopped dead in its tracks, dangerously close to the enemy vessel.

"Looks like we'll be staying here for a while after all," Nel quietly remarked, folding her arms.

The bluenette still wasn't acknowledging her or Sophia. He madly tapped away at his console, preparing for battle. "THAT is the mothership of one of Jupiter's moons," he hastily explained. "We're going to help Midgard out for a bit, at least until we can get a new warp trajectory." As he finished his sentence, he twisted his head around to glare at Cliff, who was now holding the back of Fayt's captain's chair very tightly and about to protest the change of plans.

"Sounds good to me," Mirage replied, grinning widely at Fayt. "I'll hail some of the other Midgardian ships to help us take out this battleship from Jupiter."

But something didn't seem right to Cliff. Why was Mirage grinning at a time like this? It finally clicked. "**MIRAGE!!**" he roared. "Did y'know that ship was comin' out of warp right in front of us? Did ya set our warp path to intersect theirs so we could stay longer and help out Midgard?!"

She replied calmly, her expression unchanged: "What are you talking about Cliff?" There was a pang of innocence intertwined in her voice.

"Are you on drugs?" John Paul asked with a chuckle.

"THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW!" Fayt suddenly shouted as he tapped away, remembering he had asked the exact same thing before the striptease. He didn't realize that JP had read his mind and had purposely chosen that query as a result.

Sophia stared at Cliff with increasing shock swirling round her eyes. Needless to say, she had taken the question literally.

Cliff's mouth hung open, more in confusion than anything, before he glanced around the room at everyone. "C'MON, IT'S A FAIR QUESTION!" he implored, finally deciding on the answer himself and reaching over to smack Mirage on the shoulder. She just kept on grinning like a cheshire cat.

The ship rumbled with the impact of phase fire from the mothership. "I'm activating my attack program," Fayt announced. "Hold on!"

The Saviour began assailing the mothership with a combination of torpedoes and antimatter fire as it circled around the giant vessel at a high rate of speed: a bee surrounding its prey. The enemy ship tried to fire back but the Saviour was moving too fast. Suddenly a section of the Midgardian fleet broke away from the rest and came over to help. The mothership's shields were failing — it was outnumbered. One of its torpedoes finally connected with the Saviour, knocking one of the ship's thrusters out of commission.

"Creation energy incoming! Warn the other ships!" Fayt cried, smacking his hand down on his armrest.

An unworldly beam of energy blasted out of the mothership's creation cannon, utterly devastating two of the Midgardian vessels. But as its cannon unloaded, the enemy's shields collapsed and the Saviour quickly launched one last torpedo which hit the warp engine head on. Small explosions dotted the ship's exterior around that area and soon the entire vessel imploded in a colossal fireball that sent spine-tingling shockwaves rippling through space.

"Sensors have just gone offline!" Mirage proclaimed after the bridge filled with cheers.

"I think we should be getting out of here now," Nel stated shrewdly. Everyone except Fayt nodded.

"Roger. I'm setting a new warp trajectory to the hidden planet."

Fayt anxiously observed the intense space battle taking place closer to Midgard. It didn't appear that either side was taking a disproportionate number of losses. _But Midgard's trap is definitely advantageous_ he thought. Suddenly the planet's creation cannon shot off its own beam, annihilating a cluster of Killer vessels that were baring down on the space station.

"Oh no," the bluenette uttered. "One of the Killers' ships got through the planetary shield when they briefly dropped a section to fire the cannon."

"Eh, ain't nuttin' we can do now!" Cliff declared, staring uneasily at an asteroid ship that was heading their way. "We're leaving this bloody mess in the dust!"

The Saviour abandoned the barrage of phase fire and jumped into warp, leaving an ephemeral star in its wake.

--

_It doesn't hurt me.  
You want to feel, how it feels?  
You wanna know, know that it doesn't hurt me?  
You wanna hear about the deal I'm making.  
You, (If I only could, be running up that hill)  
You and me (If I only could, be running up that hill)_

_And if I only could,  
Make a deal with god,  
And get him to swap our places,  
Be running up that road,  
Be running up that hill,  
Be running up that building.  
If I only could..._

_- Song by Placebo 'Running Up That Hill'_

Fayt was waiting outside the door to Albel's room, leaning against the wall and deep in thought. The little patch of stubble on his chin gave his fingers a pleasant sensation. _Where is he?_ he pondered. _How long does it take that man to go to the bathroom? _He started rubbing his shoulders with his right hand to try to relieve the tension in them. _I hope Mirage can fix the thruster before we come out of warp. We won't have much time though, at warp 9 we'll be there very soon. _There was a single strand of his brilliant blue hair lying on the sleeve of his upper arm and he stared at it momentarily before brushing it off. _This is unbelievable. I really don't know about this whole Apocalypse magic thing. Maybe Maria is right after all, _he mused, only briefly incredulous that he was considering her plan. _It could be a lot easier..._ _Could I even do that though? Destroy a whole planet with my power?_

It seemed as if dark thoughts and second guesses were the only things percolating his mind as of late. And even worse, it was starting to feel _normal_, when it really shouldn't.

"Hey sexy," came a deep voice from down the hall. Cliff was striding towards him with that superman smile and sapphire eyes shining.

"I'm really not in the mood right now," the bluenette replied, still trying to rub his shoulders.

Cliff wasn't fazed as he silently walked up and placed his big hands over his boyfriend's shoulders and began a heavenly massage. Fayt closed his eyes and let his head nod forward. After a minute, the blond bent down and breathed heavily onto the back of the other's neck, exciting the little hairs growing there.

"Let's just get this over with," Fayt sighed, pulling Cliff over beside him. He pressed the unlock key on the door and it slid open with a 'whoosh'. Albel was sitting on the bed tending to one of the long braids in his hair. He quickly dropped it.

"So, you've come here to give me a lecture have you?" he mocked as he rose from the bed.

"Huh? You talkin' to me?" the Klausian answered gruffly, pretending he hadn't been paying attention. "I guess my ears don't pick up girly sounding whiny noises."

The fire in Albel's eyes burned blood red as he stepped closer to Cliff, who was smirking intently. "You wanna go, you ape-sized fool!?"

"Only if it's somewhere with candleliiight," the blond impulsively teased in a high pitched tone, wiggling his shoulders, immensely proud of himself for coming up with that.

Albel tilted an eyebrow and crunched up his nose, not really getting the joke. Fayt laughed quietly before speaking: "Please Cliff, enough bickering." The blond tilted his head upwards, pretending there was something really interesting on the ceiling. Fayt turned to Albel. "Yes, we want to talk about what you did back on Midgard."

"If you're referring to the quick work I did on Quock, you really should be thanking me, Leingod," he spat.

"Listen Albel," the bluenette began, raising his voice. "You were the one who decided to join us on this mission. And that means we work as a team, and we make decisions together, especially something so significant as killing a political leader from another world."

The Elicoorian brushed his bicoloured hair off his cheek. "Sorry, that's not the way I do things…I always do what I want, worm." A hush fell across the room as the two glared resentfully at each other, in a palpable test of will. The tension was building and something had to give, and with lightning speed Albel suddenly stepped towards Fayt, grabbed his face, and proceeded to give him an astonishing smooch on the lips. The bluenette's eyes heightened in shock, and he tried to push him away with both hands.

No matter though: Albel was soon flying across the room towards a wall — his violaceous cape all aflutter — having been pummeled in the stomach by one of Cliff's clenched fists. "Whaddaya think yer doing, fuckface?" he bellowed, watching Albel with abhorrence as the latter got up off the floor and brushed himself off.

"Who knows, idiot? I just felt like doing that. It's a satisfactory way to get people to shut up."

Fayt wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Well don't feel like doing that again."

"Yeah, dickwad," Cliff continued, angry as hell. "Touch him again and you'll be pulverized to a pulp and fed to those screaming ice chicks in the Passage from Parch to Plenty."

Symbology began swirling in Albel's right hand as he prepared for his revenge.

"No combat magic on the ship," the bluenette sternly decreed, looking Nox straight in the eyes. "Just don't do anything like that again, okay? What you did on Midgard. Cliff, let's go."

--

Han and Luke's room was totally dark, save for a few lit candles they had replicated. It was rather romantic — well as much as a simple ship room can be. It was a few degrees hotter in there as well...

Han slammed Luke against the wall, causing the latter to emit a gentle cry. Sweat trickled down their faces as the Jedi's back rhythmically slid up and down the wall, the friction sending waves of rousing warmth deep into his body. Strands of their hair were being tempted together in clumpy, moist masses and their eyes were intently locked onto each other as the glow of the flickering flames cavorted on their corneas, paralleling the pyres of passion within. Breathing erratically through their mouths, the hot breaths hung in the air between them, simulating the sensual humidity of a tropical island.

Luke's arms were lasciviously wrapped around Han's neck, holding himself in position. The Corellian's hands were firmly placed under the Jedi's rump for guidance and support. Luke's unclothed thighs rubbed against the other's hips, stimulating their skin to the edge of euphoria. Abs contracting with every motion, Luke began to whimper quietly — with joy, not grief — as he bit his bottom lip and grasped the bulging muscles of Han's upper back within his hands, squeezing, shaping, and sculpting. And then all movement between them ceased, their eyes tumbled shut, and they drew in great gulps of air before the perfect silence shattered…

--

Deciding he didn't have the energy for another confrontation, Fayt skipped having that 'talk' with Maria and instead spent the rest of the trip napping with his head on Cliff's thigh on one of the lounge sofas.

A muffled cry from the next room roused him from his slumber so he yawned dreamily and stretched both arms outwards, inadvertently knocking the cleft of Cliff's chin in the process. "Oops."

The blond gazed down at his cerulean haired sweetie with a lopsided grin. He reached out to place his quad scanner on the table and accidentally-on-purpose smacked the backside of his hand along Fayt's face as he retracted it. "Oh sorry, kid — didn't see ya there. Sooo, y'need a kiss to make it all better?"

The smile lines around the bluenette's eyes rose up in agreement. "Here, hold on a sec," Cliff advised, gently brushing the fingers of his right hand across the other's lips. "Gotta wipe those rabid Albel germs off." He swept the same hand against his shirt. "Now, let's see if there's any trace of them left." Bending forward as Fayt raised himself up, Cliff gave him a quick and tender peck on the lips, paused ("Mmm"), and then came in for another. He pulled away again and ran his tongue over his own, a satisfied smirk sprouting. "Nope, no contamination detected. Better check inside your mouth though." And with that he wrapped an arm around Fayt's back and pulled him into a suffocating embrace for some hardcore lip action complemented by a soft and squishy tongue searching around the bluenette's mouth, sending tinglies around his body. The Klausian loved every single crease, every single fold, in his lover's lips, and the warmth and wetness of the kiss only titillated him even more.

Unfortunately, Maria's voice on the ship's intercom lurched the Earthling from his careless lazing and all the crap that made up his life as of late smeared itself over his face. The universe (meaning Maria) was reminding him it wasn't all smiles and kisses out there. His shoulders felt noticeably heavier as he parted from Cliff and heaved himself off the sofa. They both made for the bridge, with the Klausian mentally scolding himself for not having time to talk with Fayt about his bizarre ignorance of Sophia and Nel.

"We've just dropped out of warp," Mirage announced as the two sauntered in. Fayt took his seat beside her at the helm while Cliff stood and stared at Mirage, willing her to move out of his seat with his mind.

"Did ya get that thruster fixed?" he wondered aloud, sighing and scratching behind his ear.

She twisted to face him. "I think so. It was a bit of a rush but I think it will hold. We still don't have any sensors though."

"Well, Dr. Zoda was right about one thing," Maria said impatiently, staring out the front screen and looking at nothing but black space and far-off stars. "We're at the coordinates and I don't see any planet."

John Paul, who was sitting in the corner and eating a bowl of blueberries, stuck a purple fingertip in the air and spoke up. "We're almost at the coordinates," he corrected.

And sure enough, the ship began to vibrate, and they watched in awe as it passed through a strange and shimmering sort of invisible force field that gradually revealed the secret planet in all its bright and colourful glory. It was like nothing they'd ever seen. The top half of the planet was covered by stretches of desert and canyons, spotted with large oases, while the bottom half was blanketed by lush forests. The abrupt shift between the two at the planet's equator was especially perplexing. _As perplexing as that damn layout of the Firewall that used to link the Ancient Ruins of Mosel to the Spiral Tower_, Cliff mused, attempting to suppress bad memories of getting lost.

Fayt sat back in his seat, studying what he was seeing with intrigue. His eyes were drawn to some imperceptible masses clustered above one section of the desert, casting shadows below. "So this is the secret Planet Chimos…" he quietly affirmed (pronounced she-mow-s). "Okay, let's…"

The console in front of him suddenly flashed a vivid shade of red, indicating the emergency system had activated. The ship abruptly lurched and began to slowly spin sideways, the planet drifting towards the left side of the viewscreen. "Right lateral control thruster has failed," the computer stoically announced. "Conventional navigational control is severely limited. The ship is now caught within the planet's gravitational pull. Time until impact: 5 minutes."

"**WHAAAT!?**" everyone shouted simultaneously, shock twisting up their faces.

"I guess it was damaged more than I thought by the Killers' attack," Mirage remarked in defeat, shaking her head dejectedly.

"So what are our options?" Maria asked as she anxiously peeked over Mirage's shoulder at the ship's controls.

Cliff ran fingers through his hair from front to back, in total disbelief this was happening. _We've gotten out of situations way worse than this_, he assured himself. "Man, this is bad guys. Uhh, whaddabout the warp engine? Escaping might just be our only hope."

"The warp drive is operational, but we're already too deep in the planet's gravitational field and with the ship spinning in circles, jumping into warp would be extremely risky, if not impossible" Mirage advised.

"We would end up warping into the middle of a star or definitely overheating the engine!" Fayt warned loudly, sweat forming on his brow. "No, we have to land the Saviour, it's the only way."

"Are you outta your mind?!" Cliff roared, swinging a fist up to his chest.

"Trust me Cliff," the bluenette replied. "We're as safe as a turtle in its shell, as you like to say. Or...a turtle dropping out of orbit, as I once said. That turned out pretty well. Anyways, I've got a hunch so everything will be fine, right?" The sarcastic but uneasy tone of his voice was easily apparent.

Cliff ironically bristled at that last comment, chest heaving up and down. He didn't respond though.

"That's not a very nice thing to think about your boyfriend," JP suddenly declared, frowning at Cliff.

Fayt's head shot around to look at him, eyes narrowed. "What!? What is the _genius_ thinking?"

JP just shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it, we have more important things…Whoa!" He grabbed onto the edge of his seat as the ship began to rattle fiercely, signaling they were entering the Chimos' atmosphere.

"Fayt and I have the situation under control, strap yourselves in and get ready for a bumpy ride," Mirage commanded, after notifying the rest of the crew of the situation through the intercom. "Shields are low but holding so we should be able to keep the ship in one piece. And save the bickering for the bedroom."

"Well, I feel so much better now," Maria flatly lied, as Fayt fleetingly stared at Mirage with a stunned expression.

Knowing Cliff was getting riled up for once actually gave him some enjoyment and took his mind away from the danger at hand, so he came up with the perfect last words before the crash landing. Craning his neck to look directly at Cliff, his eyes expanded as he said in a teasing tone: "**Hey, feeling lucky Cliff**?"

JP had an all-knowing smile plastered on his face, having received thoughts from both Fayt and Cliff as the two retrieved memories of their first crash landing on Elicoor II. "Oi, here we go again…" he mumbled, watching Cliff exhaling vociferously and offering a sarcastic 'Ha, ha' through clenched teeth.

Like a manic meteorite, the Saviour screamed through the planet's thick atmosphere at top speed, fugacious flames licking along the outer shell of the ship and a long trail of ashen smoke billowing out of the damaged thruster. Still spinning in circles as it plummeted, the ship finally straightened out after passing through the atmosphere and into the dazzling blue sky of Chimos. A flare of sunlight flooded the bridge as they made the transition, dilating the pupils of the crew's fearful eyes.

"We're heading towards that gathering of floating masses over there!" Fayt yelled, pointing in their direction. "...What was that?"

The bowl of blueberries jumped out of JP's hands and spilt all over the floor of the bridge, hopping and rolling around with the increasingly violent vibrating motions of the ship. Outside, something large and vermeil flashed by the ship and disappeared behind them. Meanwhile, the surface of the planet was rapidly growing closer, and it was now easy to make out individual canyons etched across the landscape and stretches of irradiant oasis lakes enshrined an exquisite aquamarine and broken by animated dunes of desert sand. But it didn't look like the ship was going to make it that far. They were going to land on the strange floating things in front of them, hard.

"We're coming in way too fast!" Mirage shouted.

Fayt managed to activate the remaining thruster in quick bursts in order to slow the ship down, but not send it spinning in circles. "What the…?"

The Saviour plowed headlong into a marble courtyard, its shields flashing, buzzing, and screeching as the incredible impact cracked the surface and sent chunks of marble flying into the air. Leaving a considerable crater behind, the ship bounced back up again — a result of the elasticity of the shields — and landed further down the plaza, more softly, but once again fracturing the rock and sending reverberating waves of sound in all directions. Yet again, it sprung back into the air, the shields finally failed, and the ship came to a crashing halt past the end of the courtyard, right up against a roman-style column. Soot, dirt, and rock powder rose up into the air like the fumes of a fresh volcano.

Inside the ship, there was nothing but darkness.

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: So remember how I said I needed to write more HanxLuke scenes? HAHAHAHA! I'm so funny. I thought it would be great to just have them making love and that be my contribution for this chapter! Who needs dialogue ;D? And it was cool since I wanted to describe a lemon without actually describing it, and thus keeping it below NC-17. I hope you get what I mean. Anyways, didn't see that Albel thing coming did you? Hehe. I was just thinking about chapter 15 and how I said Fayt and Cliff had 'found what love was' at the very end after they had yaoied it up. It kinda made it sound like love _was_ sex. Haha. Unintentional! It's a mixture of all those things mentioned in ch 15! Also, hope you like this chapter's throwback to when Fayt, Cliff, & Mirage first crash landed on Elicoor in the game. Except Cliff's the one freakin out this time :D)


	19. Chapter 19: I Swear It's Déjà Vu!

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke

Rating: PG

Summary: Spectacular, spectacular, no words in the vernacular, can't describe this great event, you'll be dumb with wonderment! No really! You see, the crew has 'landed' on the hidden planet of Chimos and it's time for some exploring. And this place is filled with spectacular animals of fantasy and dare I say, fun? Tempers flare among the SO3 gang in the hot desert canyons and Fayt finally confronts JP. But something seems a little off. How much of this is just a chimera?

Shoutouts: Zelavril - Well, well, for some reason these last few chapters keep getting longer and longer than I had planned! I guess they're just bursting with awesomeness that needs to be included. I'm sorry this one is so long. I just couldn't stay in my self-imposed limit this time! I think I really went all out for this one :D. Anyways, good luck with your exams, I'm sending good brain waves your way! Spectralwings - She's back! Yay I'm a great storytelling master! :O! My dream of all dreams! OMG I totally didn't think of getting Cliff and Albel to fight each other. That would have been fun! But I wanted the couples to spar :) As for Sophia & Albel, that is a VERY good question. I don't think I know. I'm very glad you liked the flashback with Fayt's parents and you clearly understand what I was trying to get at by including that scene. Aww, baby Fayt!

**Chapter 19:**

Just a little bumped and bruised, Cliff manually opened the hatch on the right side of the bridge and cautiously stuck his head out — which he soon discovered was a remarkably wise move. A single blueberry rolled out the door and jumped off the edge, but instead of landing on solid ground it sailed on downward until it disappeared from sight. His golden hair flapping in the gentle breeze, bathed in sunbeams that sent each strand shining, Cliff couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was _nothing_ below him to step on. All he saw was azure sky, cottonball clouds, and glimpses of desiccated desert far, far below. The Saviour had come to a crashing halt in a grassy knoll, bordering one side of the now spectacularly damaged marble courtyard. And then it hit him…

They had landed on a floating island of some sort, and the Saviour was resting inches from the edge of it. Cliff was no stranger to floating islands; Klaus III's dojos were located on these magical, tapered land masses.

He jumped back from the doorway like a startled cat and slammed it shut. Just then, the ship's backup lighting came online and illuminated a sore but relieved crew. If there was ever such thing as a _successful_ crash landing, this was it.

--

He was waiting. In the shadows. Among the canyons. In the nooks and crannies. He knew they would come down soon. He would track them with his quad scanner. He was ready. His ship was out of sight, the chain of his nunchaku polished to perfection, his black hooded cloak camouflaging his presence. He had found a place to make them pay dearly, to make their deaths torturously slow and painful. The need for revenge burned in his veins, clouded out everything else. The desert heat was making him feverish. Skulking along, he glanced at his watch, a sneer erupting. They would be dead by sundown.

--

It had been decided that Fayt, Cliff, Albel, Luke, Han, John Paul, and Mirage would go out exploring. Their plan was to find a way to the surface, and once there they would follow the directions Dr. Zoda had given them to find Apocalypse. Nel, Sophia, and Maria (with her technical know-how) would stay behind and repair the ship, by restoring main power in order to replicate the parts needed to fix the thruster and the other systems damaged in the crash. If it wasn't for the shields, which minimized the damage, they might have been stuck on this planet for a very, very long time.

Fayt had finally acknowledged Nel and Sophia's presence, but only to declare loudly and irritably that they were not coming with the group on this mission. After the crew exited the ship from the other side, they spread out and began looking around.

Wherever they were, the place was beyond fantastic — it would fill even the most jaded person with awe. The ship had landed in some sort of park scattered with multihued rhododendrons in full bloom, waves of their perky petals blushing brilliant shades and breathing pungent perfumes, and ancient, massive magnolias covered in elegant blossoms that bled perfectly from pink to white. Mediterranean-white columns carved in a style reminiscent of Roman times bordered the park at regular intervals, and climbing roses wound their way up around them, adding to the rich colour and beauty.

Beside the park, of course, was the marble courtyard dented by two craters created by the Saviour and scattered with debris. On one side a balcony stretched out over the edge of the island, and some of the crew went over to gaze off into the sky and peek down at the land below. Puffy clouds lazily drifted by underneath them and gave the illusion of being able to hop down onto one of them, and wrap themselves up in it for a nap. A few other floating islands were visible in the distance, strange spinning-top shaped creatures suspended in thin air.

The rest of the courtyard was surrounded by steep terrain paved by spiraled paths, green shrubbery, and multiple levels of covered stone walkways all the way up, connected by stairways. A series of waterfalls tumbled in shimmering resplendence down the lightly terraced mountain face into marble saucers sticking out of the cliff at each of the walkway levels — an outright orgasm for the eyes — with one of the streams eventually plunging down a twisting aqueduct and into a large glittering pool lined by lily pads in the centre of the courtyard.

Fayt broke off from the group, feeling a deep sense of calm, and sauntered across the courtyard and up one of the curved pathways, heading for a peculiar red feather he had spotted. JP followed behind him.

Suddenly, something blocked out the sun. Everyone froze and tilted their eyes upward, blinking in total disbelief. Warping the wind with a thunderous beat of their mighty wings, a flock of six magnificent phoenixes descended from the sky and landed in different places around the vicinity. Fayt tentatively walked up to the phoenix closest to him, as it drank from the saucer in front of him and then turned around to preen itself, keeping one eye on the bluenette. _So this is what that red flash was I saw on the way down…_

The bird was literally breathtaking. A veritable embodiment of a raging inferno, the edge of its wings were dyed cherry red while the rest of its plumage inflamed through shades of apricot orange and banana yellow. Standing right in front of the phoenix, Fayt stared into its jet-black eyes and recognized a wiseness unparalleled by any other animal or being he had ever encountered. The bird lifted one of its giant talons off the saucer edge and motioned in the air, as if saying 'I trust you, come closer'. As JP watched on, the bluenette confidently reached out and began stroking one of the phoenix's wings, which were warm to the touch and downy feather soft. The creature rubbed the top of its head against Fayt's cheek and then gently nibbled at his unusually coloured hair.

JP came over and began petting the bird's other wing and for a few minutes, neither of them spoke.

"You do know that we're going to have to kill you after this is all over," the bluenette finally declared matter-of-factly, eyeing JP with a straight face. "You know too much about us from reading our thoughts."

The young Killer turned to face him, his eyes widening and the hand stroking the bird beginning to tremble. "Fayt, I'm sorry," he pleaded. "I shouldn't have, but I can't help it you know…"

The bluenette's lips began to quiver and he suddenly burst out laughing, slapping a hand on his thigh as the phoenix squawked happily and shook itself like a wet dog. JP glared at him with nostrils flared, mentally smacking himself for being so gullible. Then he gave up and started chuckling.

"Okay, okay, you got me there. Even if you did scare the crap out of me."

Fayt wiped a tear from his eye. "I'm sorry JP, I'm a terrible person, I know. It's just that you've been stressing me out ever since you joined us and I couldn't help but try to get you back."

"So we're even then?" he asked hopefully, casually playing with the earring in his left earlobe. "We can start over fresh?"

Fayt resumed petting the phoenix, breathing deeply to stop giggling. "Yes, yes, of course. You know, this phoenix looks pretty smart, and if it trusts you, I trust you. Just don't make any moves on Cliff."

JP walked over to the edge of the walkway and looked down at the rest of the crew below, his hair changing from blond to deep green. "Ya, don't worry. It's just...he saved my life and I feel like I owe him something."

_He doesn't expect anything in return, Cliff's not like that, _Fayt thought.

"I know," the Killer replied, not skipping a beat. "I'm also worried about what I'll do after this is all over and what will happen to those Killers who don't support this whole thing, like me."

_Hmm, good point. We'll figure something out. But tell me one more thing: You think Cliff's hot don't you?_

"Oh ya!" JP exclaimed with enthusiasm, winking playfully as Fayt rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Hey up there!" Han shouted to the two of them from down in the courtyard. "Come take a look at this you two. I think we found something that might be of use to us."

Fayt and JP made their way back down to the far side of the courtyard. The phoenix followed them and landed on a column nearby, watching the crew with interest, head tilted to the side.

"Aren't those things amazing!?" Luke contended with wonder, nodding towards the phoenix. Everyone nodded. "Look at this here. It's some kind of contraption to take us down to the surface, I think. I wonder who built all this?"

In front of them, along the edge of the island, was a very long row of objects that looked remarkably like short surfboards. They watched as one of them slid off the edge and headed down to the planet's surface, and another came up from below and took its place. The strange thing about these surfboards was that they were brown and furry, like an animal. Suddenly, two eyes appeared on the board closest to them, on the top of the board and near the front end. The group simultaneously jumped back in shock.

"**It's ALIVE!**" Cliff bellowed in true Frankenstinian style, pointing emphatically at the thing. The 'animal' turned its eyes towards Mirage.

"Oh no," she said knowingly. "I know where this is going. Maybe I should have stayed back on the ship."

She inexplicably began to lift a few centimetres into the air and floated over to the 'surfboard', holding her arms out as she teetered from side-to-side. She landed on the thing sideways and little arms sprouted out of the board and wrapped themselves around her feet. "Whooaaa!" she shouted as the thing went flying off the island's edge and down into the scattered clouds below.

"MIRAGE!" Fayt and Cliff both shouted at once as she disappeared.

On Albel's face a tinge of green had gathered, like growing algae. "There is no FUCKING way I am getting on one of those possessed devil's spawn!" he hissed with finality, taking a step back and about to sprint in the opposite direction as the next surfboard growled impatiently at him. "There has to be another way do...AHHHHHHHHHHHHWwwn"

Soaring off the edge after Mirage, Albel's screams only tempered with distance as he turned into an angry speck.

"How do we get ourselves into these situations?" Fayt sighed, impetuously squeezing Cliff's bum as he walked by. Finishing his laugh at Albel, the blond willingly smacked his boyfriend back. Soon Han, Luke, JP, and Fayt were air surfing as well, leaving the Klausian all by his lonesome. Suddenly, he felt himself magically levitating off the ground..._like an Executioner_, he mused. He landed on the surfboard animal right foot in front and it grunted noisily, obviously **not** impressed with how much he weighed. Fuzzy arms came out of the board and strapped his feet in place and he quickly psyched himself up for the ride, tingles of emotion rushing through his body. _It'll be just like surfing on Klaus back in the day, except not on water. Oh, this is gonna be awesome!_

And before he knew it, he was shooting off the edge of the floating island and into an endless sea of sapphire. At first he had a terrible falling feeling, and all of his hairs seemingly stood on end as he held his breath and clenched his fists at his side. The sensation soon passed and he let his chest relax, taking in the invigorating air swirling up all around him in invisible waves, an aroma resembling the florid afterglow of a fleeting spring rainstorm flooding his nostrils. He warily stretched his hands outward, afraid he would lose balance and cause the board thing to flip upside-down. But it was surprisingly stable and with his arms outstretched he bent his knees and began to steer the surfboard left and right, like he was surfing a real wave. As freedom streamed through the v-shaped gaps between his fingers, his heart pounded with utter exhilaration and he spontaneously screamed at the top of his lungs, letting Chimos know how much he was enjoying the ride.

Tilting the board downward, he was soon catching up to the rest of the crew, and Fayt was within shouting range when all of them plunged into a cumulus cloud. A sudden chill met Cliff's skin as he descended through a whirlwind of overwhelming ivory and burst out the other side. He discovered he was covered in tiny water droplets which swiftly swept off in the passing airstream and twirled up in glistering helixes into the heavens. Han was doing tricks down below so the Klausian decided to try some of his own. First he spun in a circle three hundred and sixty degrees and then back again. Then he tried swinging the board off to the side like he was going up and down a half-pipe, the bottom of his black shirt frenzily flapping upwards in the breeze and revealing his belly button and rock-hard abs. The surface below was rapidly growing closer and he could see they would be landing at the edge of an immense oasis. Readying for one last stunt before landing, he abruptly veered the surfing creature upward and did a complete flip in the air and then another, sending his adrenaline through the roof.

The crystal blue waters of the oasis were coming up right beneath him and he magically decelerated and landed softly on top of a breaking wave, riding it to the shore and diving head-first into the sand as the creature suddenly released his feet. The others were wildly chatting away with each other, discussing their extraordinary experience. The surfboard animals were rising one at a time back up into the air towards the floating islands. Everyone's hair was out-of-control.

Cliff leapt to his feet and glanced around excitedly. Palm trees dotted the periphery of the sparkling lake and they were standing in a wide swath of desert in the bottom of a low-rising canyon valley extending out from the oasis.

"WHAT'S UP, **BEACHES**?!" he cried, wading back into the water and unzipping his shirt slightly. The rest of the group stared at him, a few chuckles here and there.

"Someone's lost a little too many brain cells over there," Albel mumbled, his and Mirage's hair looking remarkably like bird nests.

"Hey you! This is no time for a vacation! We've got a job to do!" Luke shouted, motioning Cliff to get out of the water.

As the blond waved an acknowledgement and left the refreshing desert lake, the crew spread out and looked around a bit, trying to locate the source of a subdued neighing sound. Fayt was inspecting a strange looking palm shrub when strong hands suddenly wrapped under his arms and around his chest, hugging him close. Cliff was his **cloud**, enveloping him in a tender and silky embrace that made him want to doze off as they stood together, there in the sultry midday sun. Nudging his ear against Fayt's, the Klausian kissed the side of his neck and they began to rock back and forth, off in their own little world.

_Ouch, I have lost myself again  
Lost myself and I am nowhere to be found  
Yeah, I think that I might break  
I've lost myself again and I feel unsafe... _

_**Be my friend  
Hold me, wrap me up  
Unfold me  
I am small  
And needy  
Warm me up  
And breathe me**_

_- Incredible song by Sia 'Breathe Me'_

Albel's contemptuous voice, naturally, shattered their short-lived little fantasy. "Hmph. Seriously, do I have to watch this nonsense? Can you fools go and find a cave or something before my eyes start bleeding?"

Mirage, Luke, Han, and JP burst into hysterics, the desert heat clearly getting to them.

"Seriously Albel, **a cave?**" Han mocked while gesturing with his hands, sweat forming in the opening of his v-neck shirt. "Listen kid, the saying goes like this... 'Get a room you two!'," he explained with a shout, raising one brow. "What planet are you from, anyways? Don't tell me you and Sophia get it on in a cave…"

Albel spat into the sand and put one hand on his hip. "Stuff it in your nutsack, maggot. Don't go around telling **me** what's right and wrong acting like you're all high and mighty. I know what you and Skywalker do when you sneak off to the engine room on the ship — fuck. Why don't you look in your own backyard before talking crap?"

"OH BURN!" JP hollered while smacking his hands together, enjoying this random flare of emotions from the crew. Han snorted cantankerously.

"You know what? I'm really starting to wonder...what attracted a nice girl like Sophia to Albel anyways?" Luke speculated aloud, folding his arms and molding his face into a self-satisfied expression.

"His modesty!" Cliff shouted instantly, the sarcasm thick like the air around them. Another round of laughter echoed back and forth against the canyon walls.

After a moment of silence, Mirage whipped out her quad scanner. "Okay, okay you guys, enough. We better get going now. We've gotta head down this way and to the right," she commanded, pointing ahead of them along the sandy canyon floor to a branch on the right. They all left the oasis and started off in that direction, with Fayt and Cliff at the tailing end.

"I swear that plant just moved!" the blond suddenly yelled as he turned around one last time to look at the lake, pointing at the palm shrub Fayt had been inspecting. Indeed, before it had been at the water's edge and now it was right behind them, even after they had walked a few metres.

Fayt was getting weary from the humidity. "Cliff, you're seeing things. It happens when you're in the desert. There was a shrub right there all along. Come on."

The blond hesitantly continued on after the bluenette, whipping his head back every few steps to look at the plant. It didn't move anymore. But he swore he heard the sound of snapping teeth coming from that direction.

The group passed under a gigantic arch of copper-coloured rock, broken with thin lines of silvery-white. There was something rustling in the shadows at the base of the canyon wall up ahead on the left.

The party instinctively readied their weapons, while JP strolled along beside Cliff, hoping for protection. Suddenly, a herd of horses (nine) emerged from the shadows and came galloping up to the gang, neighing noisily. Except these horses were tiny, like miniature horse tiny. Their coats were a pure snow-white that gleamed greatly in the sun, and a horn stuck out from their foreheads. They also had four legs in the front and two at the back. Small but majestic creatures.

"Wow! Look at these horses! I've never seen anything like it," JP said breathlessly, bending over to stroke the mane of the one closest to him. "Really, this planet is so unusual."

The two horses near Fayt gracefully shook their heads back and forth and tried to jump up on him with their four front legs. "What's this around their necks?" he asked, fingering what appeared to be a metal collar. Scratching the cheeks of one of them to get it to calm down, he bent over to examine the collar more closely. "This one is engraved with a name: Alyssa. It appears there is an address here and a date, SD 724."

"Hey, that's almost 50 years ago!" Cliff pointed out as he spun in a circle, trying to get the horse near him to stop poking him in the butt with its horn.

"These horses must have been domesticated at one time," Mirage perspicaciously observed. "But it appears that they are free now, and have been for a long time. I wonder what happened to their owners?"

Han scratched his nose and shrugged. "There's something fishy going on around here. We ain't seen any humans on this planet and who coulda built all the stuff on the floating islands anyways?"

"Well, time's a wastin' folks — we better getta move on," Cliff advised, stretching his arms over his head. "Hmm, I wonder if they'll follow us." And sure enough, the group started walking again and the horses trotted along behind them and between them, neighing cheerfully.

For the next ten minutes or so the party marched along in peace, trudging through the hot sand down the canyon floor corridor. The horses suddenly stopped and froze in place like statues, staring into the shadows of the base of the canyon up ahead on the right. Out of the corner of his eye, Albel saw something come whipping at him. He reacted instantly and dodged out of the way with miraculous speed, drawing his katana from its sheath and swiping it upwards, slicing open the unseen aggressor's cheek. Fayt and Cliff spun around to face the commotion and were swiftly knocked out cold by the blow of a nunchaku stick to the back of their heads, collapsing to the ground. The attacker was then jerked off his feet and severely whacked into the wall by Luke's force push, but he disappeared in an aquamarine beam of radiance, taking Fayt and Cliff with him, just as a fireball flung by Mirage pounded into the place he had been standing.

--

The back of his head throbbed like it was being attacked by a deranged nurse armed with hypodermic needles. Trying to recall what had happened, Fayt forced open his heavy eyelids and waited for the blurriness to fade. He discovered, to his extreme dismay, that he was sitting on the floor of a stuffy, dim cell with his hands chained to the stone wall behind him. There was a slim shaft of light shining in from a small, barred window.

"Well this sucks," Cliff declared, turning to Fayt and forcing a smile. "Yo, are you all right?"

The bluenette bent his head forward and held a hand to the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah. Do you know how we got here?"

"Nope," the blond replied bluntly, lightheartedly knocking his foot against Fayt's. "Just before ya woke up though there was this creepy guy in a black cloak who walked by our cell and mumbled somethin' about 'The fun will begin soon' and 'You're gonna pay for what y'did to Kevin Quock."

Fayt immediately sat up straight, the fogginess evaporating from his head. "What...? Shut up," he blurted out, green eyes glimmering from within. "He followed us here from Midgard, for revenge?"

Cliff tried yanking at his restraints with an adorable strained expression on his face. "Yup, appears so. He musta followed us into our warp stream and landed somewhere on the planet. Geez, just our luck...our sensors were offline so we didn't know he was right behind us. But why us, huh?"

"I guess he attempted to bring Albel here too, but Bel's got such an absurd reaction time — we, on the other hand, didn't even see the guy coming. You know, he probably thought we were the ringleaders behind Kevin's assassination." His head seemed to be attracted to the ground so he let it nod forward again.

"These restraints are pretty solid. Damn, they're too tight, I can't move at all."

Fayt exhaled and rolled his eyes. "Umm…that's why they call them restraints, Cliff."

Both of their jaws suddenly dropped as they realized what they were saying. "Whoa! Major déjà vu there, kid. Did I just say the exact same thing I said when we were locked in Airyglyph way back when?"

"Wow, this sure brings back memories," the bluenette responded in a subdued tone. "That was the first time we were stuck alone together for any length of time."

Cliff shook his head to get his blond bangs out of his left eye. "Uhhh...so did ya have any idea back then that it could've turned out this way?" he wondered, referring to their relationship.

"Hmm, maybe, I definately felt a spark but it seems so long ago. I just remember being in awe of you for saving me — and in awe of your biceps — even if you were an overconfident **oaf**," Fayt teased with a wide grin. "What were you thinking back then when we were sitting in that cell?"

"Man, I'm not gonna lie: I couldn't stop staring at cha before ya woke up. This sure sounds lame...but you had the cutest nose, seriously. And I was impressed by how courageous ya were, considering what had happened on Hyda." The Klausian tapped his feet together. "Heh, I knew you were gay too."

"WHAT? How could you tell!?"

"Oh I just know these things," Cliff winked, feigning sageness. "Number 1, the way ya were takin' the bait and bickering with me on the Eagle before we crashed on Elicoor. Number 2, when ya were starin' at my ass while we were fighting Norton on Vanguard. Number 3, ya showed no interest in Nel, Maria, Sophia, or Clair. Mirage maybe, but hell, she does that to men."

"If I could elbow you right now I would," Fayt replied drolly, eyes squinted, knowing the big lug was right. Instead, he inched himself closer to Cliff until their arms were touching and affectionately rested his head on the blond's shoulder.

Meanwhile, said blond began hitting the cell door with every symbology he could think of. He threw an outburst of ice needles at the lock, then tried combining a fire and lightning spell, both of which did absolutely nothing except smoke up the room. He even tried a Sphere of Might, which rattled the door immensely, but to no avail. Finally giving up, he slouched his shoulders and breathed heavily in exasperation.

"Well, I really hope that psycho doesn't come back anytime soon," he announced, turning to his buddy. He decided to just spit out what he really wanted to talk about. "So how have you been lately, anyways? I never seem ta have the chance to ask ya."

"I really don't know," the bluenette answered tersely. "I'm just doing what I have to do to fix this mess, but sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy...I don't really want to talk about it."

Cliff wrinkled his face in concern. "C'mon Fayt, I'm worried about cha and I think I know what's wrong…"

"Not you too," the bluenette interrupted irritably, clenching his fists and his teeth. "Cliff, I'm getting us out of here, we don't have time for this."

The blond immediately got the clue and shimmied as far away from Fayt as he could. The latter let his lids fall over his now fiercely glowing eyes and soon symbological runes began springing up around him, the last appearing on his forehead. Kneeling, he pulled against the chains on his wrists and they began clattering wildly. Concentrating all his essence on unleashing his power, he screamed like he was bench pressing extremely heavy weights and the whole stone room started to shake. Dust was falling like snow from the growing cracks in the roof. A profound beam of destruction exploded from his body and blasted clean through everything in front of them — door, hallway, and wall — leaving a clear path to outside. Feathers illumined with the luster of pearls burst into existence above them and floated down to touch their restraints, making them melt like butter onto the warped floor.

Cliff helped a fatigued Fayt up and they dusted themselves off before jumping up and running for it, over the debris and through the new hole in the prison wall. On their way out, they spotted a torture chamber down the hall, and **the cloaked assassin sprinting towards them**.

"Shit, he's seen us!" Cliff roared. "RUN FOR IT!"

They dashed side-by-side away from the jail, along a dusty road past an apparently deserted town, and across a dry, cracked desert plain, the enemy in hot pursuit...phase gun drawn.

**OMG! TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: What's up, bitches!? HA! Phew! That chapter was tres cool. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, especially the pretty descriptions and the air surfing! I'd LOVE to do that. Anywho, the prison scene with Fayt and Cliff is pretty special and I think they needed to remember their friendship when it was first starting. Did you think the horses were the assassin in the shadows? LOL, nobody probably fell for that ;D. But next chapter, man, all will be revealed! Well, almost all :D There will probably be one or two more chapters after that, btw.)


	20. Chapter 20: Lost Between Heaven & Earth

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt, HanxLuke

Rating: PG

Summary: "_Think of your head as an unsafe neighbourhood; don't go there alone._" Fayt discovers the truth to this quote, from 'Dry' by Augusten Burroughs, the hard way when his reluctance to face his past and the internal problems it has caused leads to a nervous breakdown. With the assassin on their tail on Chimos, and Apocalypse within their reach, many truths are revealed as illusions are swept away, and only forgiveness and Cliff Fittir can save Fayt now in this bombshell chapter.

Shoutouts: Zelavril - Oh man this chapter is my pride and joy! It's great to finally be tying everything from earlier chapters together for a powerful ending. It's serious, but a lot of fun too as you will soon find out ;D. Now that I think about it, that first part of chapter 14 has really become a seminal scene to the story. And no, I don't mean the "_pertaining to, containing, or consisting of semen_" definition of 'seminal'. **The other definition!** Dirty girl! On that note, I miss you! :D Spectralwings - I really hope you like this chapter! Hope life is going well for you and I look forward to seeing you back here once school is over!

**Chapter 20:**

Maria, Nel, and Sophia were kneeling in a conduit that connected to the transporter room, trying to get the system back online. As Maria removed a clear chip from a power console, a shower of sparks flew out and landed in Sophia's hair, and she frantically rushed to brush them out.

"Be careful!" Sophia screeched, eyes squinted. "What are you trying to do? Burn my beautiful hair off?"

Maria's mouth twitched imperceptibly and she was about to respond when Han's voice came blaring through Nel's communicator. "Ladies! Some whack job just ambushed us and kidnapped Fayt and Cliff! Are the ship's scanners working yet so we can locate 'em?"

"Oh, this is bad news. I'm sorry to have to inform you that scanners are down and we're currently trying to get the transporters working," Nel replied coolly.

"Fuck! Okay...shit, never mind. We'll have to do without. We'll check in with you later."

The trio shook their heads in dismay and Sophia wordlessly turned around to crawl out and head to the engine room to work on the sensors.

"You know Nel, I don't think I've heard you swear even once since I've known you," Maria commented, as Nel handed her a newly replicated chip, in reference to Han's potty mouth.

"I guess that's just the way I was raised," Nel answered. "But I do swear when it's appropriate."

"But you're completely missing the whole point!" Maria retorted. "Swearing is **inappropriate**, that's the whole idea. We're not in the _courtly_ Aquarian army here — you should try it sometime. I'm sure the rest of the crew would be rather amused."

"Maria, I hope you haven't suggested this to Sophia," she joked, grinning, as more sparks filled the air.

--

The jarring sound of four phase shots rung out across the parched desert plateau, their target: Cliff. Sprinting along while craning his neck to look behind him, the blond locked his superhuman eyes on the glowing gun blasts and a split second before they hit him he flexed his upper body with incredible speed, blurring from left to right to dodge the incoming fire.

"Cliff, hit him with something! Anything!" Fayt shouted as he ran, his throat dry and raspy as he gasped for breath. "I'm too weak to summon right now."

Suddenly, a shot from the assassin's gun scorched into Fayt's left shoulder blade, causing him to fall to the ground and cry out in pain. Cliff skidded to a stop to help him up, but the bluenette climbed back to his feet by himself and continued running. "It's okay, I'm fine. It's going to take a lot more than that to bring me down," he said, looking up into the sky as he spotted an unidentified flying object.

Cliff grabbed the bluenette's hand in his own and grasped it tightly. A spiral of lime green magic squeezed its way out of Cliff's hand and up around Fayt's arm, and this Healing spell swiftly numbed the pain from the shot. Letting his hand slip away, eyes ignited aqua-blue blended with apricot like an angry fire on an oil-slicked lake, Cliff turned around to look behind him once more and brought his hands close together, like he was holding an invisible ball. An exquisite symbology began to gather within this space, starting as just a spark and expanding into a raging fireball with orange and indigo flames racing in restless circles.

"Eat this ya sick bastard!" Cliff roared, bringing his arms back and flinging the fireball in the direction of the assassin. The incantation split into its two separate colours and dual orbs of flame rocketed toward their rival from both sides. Prematurely throwing a fist up into the air, Cliff then watched in consternation as the two fireballs converged on the cloaked adversary and abruptly deflected off in different directions, eventually smacking harmlessly onto the cracked plain.

Cliff's golden bangs flopped up and down on his crinkled forehead. "Fuck Fayt! He's gotta shield up!"

To the blond's surprise, Fayt turned to him with a calm expression and took ahold of his now sweaty hand. "Do you trust me Cliff?" he asked bluntly.

He could see it now. The land dropped off up ahead. They were fast approaching a cliff that made up one side of a giant gorge that cut harshly across the landscape like a zigzagging lightning bolt. They would soon be trapped. He turned to gaze at Fayt, only a minute hint of resignation tracing his brow. "After all we've been through? ...Well, duh — with all my heart, kid. So whaddaya have hidden up yer sleeve?"

"Heh, we're gonna jump," the bluenette replied, eyes and lips smiling.

A voice inside Cliff's head screamed '_**WHAT!?**_' as loudly as possible, but he managed to keep his trepidation and confusion under wraps. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the assassin was closing the gap between them.

"DUCK!" Fayt shouted.

"What? Where? **...OH!**"

They both ducked down just in the nick of time to avoid another string of phase shots, their legs starting to burn from sprinting so far. As the blazing rays of the sun shone down on the couple, illuminating splendid sparkles in the sweatbeads on their face and arms, they came closer and closer to the drop off...5 metres...4 metres...3 metres...2...1...

Reaching the brink, the assassin shrieked in frustration behind them as they leapt off the edge of the plateau hand-in-hand and immediately found themselves staring down into the valley bottom, which they could barely make out far, far below. Cliff felt all control leave his body. He was floating, floating on nothing but air currents, with arms stretched outwards as he wished with all his might that they would suddenly sprout feathers and turn into wings. He was weightless, an astronaut lost in the outer space of this strange and spectacular planet of Chimos. But most of all, he was happy, tightly holding the hand of the one he loved most, ready to accept his fate with _his_ Fayt by his side.

As the wind ferociously rushed past his face, he watched as a massive scarlet object dove from above and hovered right beneath them. They landed with a thump on the back of their saviour, a phoenix.

"I don't believe it! It's the same one that I was petting back on the floating island!" Fayt exclaimed, moving to sit in front of Cliff and stroking the phoenix on its neck. "How did it know we were in trouble?"

The blond shrugged his shoulders as he gripped for dear life onto the fiery feathers, thanking the stars for their turn of luck. The phoenix gracefully soared down the great valley, and eventually the gorge split into two, one valley heading straight and another veering off to the left, the floor of the latter conspicuously covered by forest and the walls swathed in hanging vines and little shrubs growing in the crevices. _Are we at the equator of the planet? The sharp divide between desert and forest?_

Spaceship fire suddenly tore past them and blasted into the wall of the canyon, sending chunks of rock tumbling to the ground below. They turned around to find a small spaceship the size of the Eagle hot on their trail — clearly the assassin wasn't going to give up easily and had transported to his ship.

"Holy hell and shit fire!" Cliff bellowed, so furious he was certain steam would soon start shooting out of his ears. "That's **IT**! I've **had it** with this guy! Wanna know what it feels like in Airyglyph, **bitch!?**"

Fayt watched in genuine curiosity as the Klausian readied another spell, a rune appearing before him. But the phoenix had something planned as well. It suddenly aggressively beat its wings several times and an extraordinary wave of fire streamed out of the brilliant feathers on the back edge of its wings and surged up through the air before smashing like a tsunami into the ship, knocking out its shields.

Meanwhile, Cliff was focusing on his symbology, feeling it with his mind, guiding its shape and growth as it hovered within his palm. A chunk of enigmatically azure ice was elongating into an extreme spike, lengthening and thickening with a strange splintering sound until it was at least as long as Cliff was tall. He hurled the spear of ice with all his strength towards the ship, and it pierced right through the hull, sinking deep into the vessel. Frost crystals began to creep outward from the spike across the entire ship, engulfing it in an Airyglyphian ice storm. Its engines failed and it started tilted downwards for a crash landing, heading straight for Fayt and Cliff on the phoenix.

"What's happening?" the bluenette queried as he suddenly felt unnerving pulses of warmth spurting up into his arms from the phoenix's feathers. The bird was now glowing crimson in the bedazzling sunlight.

As the ship spiraled down towards them, the phoenix squawked stridently and raised both of its marvelous wings straight up in the air, enclosing Fayt and Cliff between them. The bird burst into flame and disappeared, as the enemy's frozen ship flew right through the spot they had been and slammed into the canyon wall.

--

_Stop and stare,  
I think I'm moving but I go nowhere,  
Yeah I know that everyone gets scared,  
But I've become what I can't be, oh  
Stop and stare,  
You start to wonder why you're 'here' not 'there',  
And you'd give anything to get what's fair,  
But fair ain't what you really need,  
Oh, can you see what I see? _

_- Song by One Republic 'Stop and Stare'_

Cliff, Fayt, and phoenix materialized in a ball of flame over an endless evergreen forest, where a colossal pyramid poked out of the canopy in a grand clearing up ahead. As the couple brushed lingering sparks of licking flame off their clothes, the phoenix descended towards this area and landed on a long, pale sandstone walkway lined with ivy-wrapped marble columns, leading up to the entrance of the pyramid. The two lovers leapt off the bird and looked around, and Cliff took out his quad scanner to find out where they were, using his spare hand to pet their saviour in appreciation.

"FAYT! CLIFF!"

They spun around to see Albel, Mirage, Luke, Han, and John Paul racing out of the woods and up the causeway towards them.

"We looked everywhere for you!" Luke exclaimed breathlessly, stopping in front of them and resting his hands on his knees. "We even contacted the Saviour for help, but they're still working on the scanners."

Albel folded his arms and hissed like a King Cobra. "Hmph. Don't go thinking you were important enough to warrant us spending too long looking for your sorry asses. We had no time for games, so we continued on our mission to find Apocalypse."

"Listen smartass," Cliff began coarsely. "You were the reason that lunatic kidnapped us in the first place. He wanted revenge for what ya did on Midgard. You almost got us killed. Happy now?"

A smirk spread across Albel's face as the others contemplated what Cliff had said.

"So that phoenix saved you then?" JP asked rhetorically, eyeing the bird as it preened itself. "Hmm…"

"Whatever. It all worked out, didn't it?" Han incisively reasoned. "Can't do anything about the past. Besides, we're here now, and that spell should be inside the pyramid. Still, I've got a bad feeling about this place. I don't think it's the sweet and innocent planet it appears to be."

The group continued on, Cliff and Albel still glaring at each other as they approached the mysterious structure. It was eerily quiet — no bird noises coming from the surrounding forest, no creaking of trees in the wind, no sound of crickets in the muggy afternoon. The walkway turned into a large square plaza, and at the far end lay a doorway flanked by unlit torches on small columns. Looking up, way up, the tip of the pyramid appeared perfectly white, reflecting the sun's rays across the forest canopy like a beacon.

"Whatever you do guys, don't look to your right," Mirage suddenly announced.

Needless to say, Fayt and Cliff did exactly the opposite, and there they saw two humanoid skeletons resting against a column near the periphery of the plaza. They hastily turned away, but it was too late, the image was permanently burned into their brain. Everyone marched straight into the pyramid, a sense of foreboding making their feet seem heavier as they tried to piece together everything they had seen since arriving on Chimos. They soon entered a vast spherical room with a mural painted on the walls — it was the floating islands, on a sky blue background. In the centre of the chamber was a glass globe on a pedestal, its insides swirling with intimidating black magic, surrounded by a circle of pedestals that alternated between engravings of trees and canyons.

All of a sudden JP crumpled to his knees, clutching his ears as if he were trying to block something heinous out of his head. When he spoke, his voice was different...deeper, darker, dangerous: "The planet of Chimos was once populated by two races of humanoids: one that lived in the deserts and one that lived in the forests. The only place they met to trade and interact was on the floating islands. This almost complete separation made the two races extremely suspicious of one another. Nearly 50 years ago, their desire for access to the other half of the planet, their desire for _**more**_, brought their leaders here: to the sacred Apocalypse. Tell this magic who you want to destroy, and it will awake the planet and destroy only those you desire. Alas, Chimos lost its dominant species when both sides asked Apocalypse to annihilated the other, for their own selfish greed."

A hologram emerged from the globe and hovered above it. It flashed images of an impressive city, now overtaken by ivy, trees, and fantastical animals — its ruins were barely even visible within the flourishing forest. Other deserted towns were shown as well, placed throughout the desert and near the oases, slowly being reclaimed by the sands. "300 million people died that day. So heed this warning traveler. Apocalypse is here for the taking, but I promise you, no good will ever come if it is taken simply to satisfy one's own greed."

Everyone stood aghast, honestly wondering whether they were dreaming. They had to be. Cliff pinched himself.

"So, it appears Dr. Zoda didn't tell us the entire story," Fayt declared with a moan, collapsing to his knees. "Three...hundred..._**MILLION**_...people?" he cried out, burying his face in his hands. "We can't use this magic! I might as well obliterate Mars myself as Maria suggested! ...Yeah, that's it."

"C'mon Fayt, don't say that. Y'know, I think your father would've advised otherwise…" Cliff replied thoughtfully, reaching out a helping hand.

"DON'T YOU **DARE** BRING MY DAD INTO THIS!!" the bluenette exploded with a shriek, slapping Cliff's hand away. It was all too much. The dam that had been built in his mind cracked open and everything came flooding back: the emotions, the sounds, the smells, his father's last breath, the chilly touch of his dead body. The terrible guilt over having caused his father's sacrifice, not being able to save him, the utter unfairness that he had lived and his dad had not. Reliving the event every...single...day. The words of promise his mother had spoken, saying on Hyda IV that he would see her again. The unspeakable horror of seeing his home planet exterminated. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE ME! Cliff, I'm broken," he wailed, waterfalls spilling from his woeful eyes. "I _see _my father and mother everyday, because something always reminds me of them...the smell of foods they used to cook, a song we used to listen to, hearing their whispers in the wind, even the sight of a beach, where we used to wrestle when I was younger. I can't escape it — it _haunts_ me to no end. That's why...that's why I've been pushing everybody away..."

"Fayt, Fayt," Cliff crooned soothingly, patting him on the back. "It's okay man, I know what it's like so soon afterwards. I mean, my dad died suddenly too y'know. There's somethin' we call what-chou have and it's entirely treatable if ya get the right help. Fayt, you've got…"

But the bluenette wasn't hearing anything Cliff was saying. He couldn't feel the tender touch of his boyfriend on his back. He felt entirely alone. Numb and cold. Detached. Like he was already dead. Inside. _It's a curse for me to keep living, I never asked for this_. _Who is this stranger who has my hands, my eyes, my legs...a sleepless, restless stranger...who keeps walking, keeps eating, keeps living...? _He abruptly collapsed to the ground, entering into a coma-like state.

"...Post Traumatic Stress Dis..orr...derr..." Cliff continued, his voice trailing off as Fayt fell. His brain went blank. He knelt down and wrapped his arms under his partner, holding his lifeless body close to his chest.

JP had recovered from his strange state and was now standing beside Cliff, a serious expression taking ahold of his face. "You must go and help him, bring him back...or else you'll lose him. It's the only way." He knelt down and placed one hand on Fayt's forehead and the other on Cliff's. He shut his eyes and his hair turned celestial silver.

Cliff could feel himself beginning to get sleepy. "What're ya doing?"

"I'm taking you to a place in the mind between heaven and earth — past, present, and future. A place you go when you're lost, to find yourself, to face grief, to say goodbye or things you wanted to say; a place to free memories, those memories that torture you. I'm taking you, your soul, to Valhalla."

Cliff fell to the floor beside Fayt as the room melted away around him, like a chimera.

--

When he came to, Cliff found himself slouched in a wooden chair in a magnificent library. There were rows and rows of bookcases with ladders, so tall they reached up to the vaulted ceiling. Vibrant green light streamed in from the tall windows on the southern end of the building, highlighting the beautiful shades of blue that graced the stone walls. The Klausian felt himself being pulled towards one of these bookcases, a unique and ornately decorated one near the front of the library. One book particularly caught his attention, as it appeared that someone had hastily stuffed it back on the shelf. He took one glance at the title and date and cringed.

Taking the book over to a table, he sat down and opened it up. He heard a sucking noise all around him and the library smeared out of view. Suddenly, he was 'in' the book, in the memory. And it appeared flawlessly real. He was standing in the prison area of the Kirlsa Training Facility on Elicoor II. Fayt, Maria, Sophia, and Robert were animatedly discussing the latter's genetic experiments on them. They didn't seem to notice him standing there.

"You've grown, Fayt," his father said with admiration.

"Dad, there's something I have to ask you."

Robert sighed. "So you've finally found out. But you must understand. I never once thought of you as a tool for my research. You were born because your mother and I always wanted a child."

Cliff suddenly noticed that Fayt looked older than he should have at the time of the memory. He had a few more wrinkles on his face, and his eyes were weary and battle-hardened. He began going off script.

"You feel really guilty don't you, for doing this when all of your beliefs told you otherwise? It's tortured you for so long, and I understand now. But Dad, **I needed you anyway**. It really hurt when you missed my graduation, you know. To be alone like that."

Robert stared at his son with sympathy. "I know, and I'm sorry. But how do you tell your son something like that...? I just wanted you to have a normal life. It was stupid, yes, avoiding you, thinking you couldn't handle it. But I'm only human. And you know I love you and I'm very proud of you."

Fayt's bottom lip began to quiver. "Thanks, Dad. You don't need to apologize, I can finally say this now: I forgive you. For everything. I realize that you did it out of love, to save everything we love."

The scene faded, and Cliff found himself on the roof of the Training Facility, Robert lying mortally wounded on the ground, the Vendeeni murderers now finished off by Fayt and the others.

"Dad, Dad!" the bluenette cried, dropping his sword and rushing to his side. "Why? What am I supposed to do without you...? Damn it, I just want you to know this: I miss you so much. Goodbye Dad…"

"Goodbye, Fayt. You'll be fine, I believe in you. Remember the good times we had together, because memories are there to treasure, not to run away from. Create your own with somebody else you cherish."

The sucking sound returned and Cliff felt himself lifting out of the memory. He caught a glimpse of Fayt's eyes and saw serenity and relief in them now, and it made him smile through his tears.

As the library reappeared, he noticed another book sitting in the empty chair next to him. The date of publication was in the future. The title was shocking, the phrases 'greatest dream' and 'greatest fear' caught his eye; he let out a gasp as shades of fuchsia effloresced on his face. Snatching it up, he fumbled to open the book, big fingers causing him some difficulty. In he went.

He found himself standing on a small stage, smack-dab in the middle of a wedding ceremony. It was in a great glass hall in the middle of a garden, with an abundance of flowers growing all around it. Everyone seated in the rows of chairs was looking his way, but they didn't see him. Fayt was standing on the other side of the officiator in a tuxedo, and Logan, Sophia, Mirage, and Nel were standing on the stage as well, as best men and ladies. An airship suddenly flew overhead and blocked out the sun, and Cliff could see holographers leaning off the sides of the ship and sneaking shots of the wedding.

Cliff did a double take as he saw a slightly older version of **himself **emerge from the doors at the end of the hall and walk down the aisle, hand-in-hand with a handsome blond-haired younger fellow that Cliff initially recognized as JP, but then wasn't so sure if it was in fact him. As a beautiful song played in the background, Cliff watched as Fayt's eyes began welling up with tears, and as he tried to inconspicuously wipe them off.

"I can't believe he chose someone else," the bluenette mumbled, heartbroken.

Cliff had finally figured out this future scenario that Fayt — in his insecurity — had made himself believe would pass. "THIS IS ALL WRONG FAYT!" he suddenly shouted, swinging his arm in front of him. The scene instantly faded and he found himself by the lake on Klaus III with those trees that bear fruit that replay images of the past.

_Sometimes you wonder if this fight is worthwhile  
The precious moments are all lost in the tide, yeah  
They're swept away and nothing is what it seems  
The feeling of belonging to your dreams_

_Listen to your heart  
When he's calling for you  
Listen to your heart  
There's nothing else you can do  
I don't know where you're going  
And I don't know why  
But listen to your heart  
Before you tell him goodbye_

_- Song of advice for Fayt by DHT 'Listen to Your Heart'_

"Welcome to the present, Cliff," came Fayt's voice from where he was sitting by the edge of the lake, light waves lapping against the grass. "What's wrong?"

"That whole wedding scene!" the Klausian cried. "Yer greatest fear is that I don't choose you?! That I marry JP or go back to my ex, Craig, or to someone else? You're worried you'll lose me? Listen, if anyone was leadin' me down the aisle it would be Mirage's dad, my godfather. And he would pass me off to you. Yes, Fayt, to you. What we 'ave is different than what I've had with anyone else. Goddammit, you're the one I wanna spend the rest of my life with!"

The evanescence of the vista began. The last thing he saw was a fruit playing a recording of the time he told Fayt about ex-girlfriend Lily and the kid's own suicide attempt. But more importantly, it was a memorable milestone: the official start of their romantic relationship.

--

When he awakened from his journey, Cliff was relieved to see he was back in the pyramid, with JP stooping over him. _Please say it worked, that I brought him back safely_, he hoped with all his heart, turning to his right. Fortunately, Fayt was sitting right there beside him, beaming like an African sunrise. Cliff gazed at his beloved boyfriend and no longer found fear, anxiety, guilt, or sadness engrained in those emerald irises — it was like he had had a revelation. They jumped into each other's arms, overjoyed, and hugged for an eternity, detecting a distinctive aroma of Klaus permeating their hair and wrapping them up in its amourous embrace.

Fayt finally turned to face the others. "I'm sorry everyone; for my strange behaviour, for my stubbornness, for saying terrible things. I understand now," he proclaimed, rising to his feet. "I've learned that we cling to our secrets, doubts, and memories, never able to put them aside. Even though they confuse us, there are some things that we can only find in this confusion. And I'm glad to say, I feel renewed, finally...**I think I've found myself**."

JP, Mirage, and Luke applauded enthusiastically, while Albel and Han looked a little discombobulated by all that had just happened.

"All right, let's finish this and get out of this graveyard," Fayt declared, peering towards Apocalypse.

"Fayt, we can use it after all. Because we're not going to use it for ourselves, for our own greed…" JP began.

"...We're going to use it to save others from tyranny," the bluenette finished with a flair of confidence. "We don't want _**more**_, we want to protect what we already _**have**_. Perhaps the symbology's intelligence can even determine which Killers are really on our side, like John Paul." He gestured to the runology users. "Ready everyone? On the count of three. One, two…"

At the same instant, Fayt, Cliff, Mirage, and Albel each touched a finger to the glass globe of whirling necromancy. A blast of wind emanated from the sphere and hit them in the face, whipping their hair backward, as a sinister stormcloud circled the whites of their eyes and disappeared. They retracted their hands. Apocalypse was now theirs.

"Fittir to Zelpher, come in! How's our baby comin' along? Is she ready to roll?"

"We've just got transporters back but still no sensors," Nel responded. "However, the thruster has been repaired and all other systems are running smoothly, meaning we're ready to go. Oh...and Sophia unfortunately got a little too close to some sparks and singed her hair. It's nothing too bad, but she's in a really sour mood."

"Roger, we'll keep that in mind," Mirage responded, taking over for Cliff since he was snickering uncontrollably. "Seven to beam up."

Mission complete, the crew vanished from the chamber and materialized back on the bridge of the Saviour. Fayt passed Apocalypse on to Maria, Nel, and Sophia, and they immediately took off from Chimos and entered warp, destination: Midgard — the front-line of war. They all took much needed showers on the way, trying to get Chimosian sand out of cracks they didn't even know they had.

--

"My friends, you've done it! Welcome back!" Dr. Zoda exclaimed, holding out his arms as he strolled into the conference room.

Cliff entwined his fingers and cupped them behind his head. "So how did Midgard fare in the war, huh? From what we saw up there, its looking like its pretty much finito."

"All in all, fate shone kindly upon us. Most of the Killer's attack fleet has been wiped out — thanks to Ally's ingenious tactics — and the rest managed to retreat back to Mars. Sections of the planetary defence shield failed and several enemy ships made landfall, but the army was able to successfully deal with them...because of the virus. A number of prominent buildings have been destroyed by enemy starship fire across the planet as well, but it's nothing we can't rebuild."

"Oh yes, the virus," Luke remarked, resting his elbows on the table. "So...does it work?"

Pride was apparent on the doctor's face. "Yes, absolutely. We tested it on the Killers who landed and it disabled their natural armour and enabled us to defeat them, with no noticeable effects on Midgardians."

Meanwhile, Albel was getting restless. "Aren't any of you maggots going to take him to task?" He glared around the room, stopping on Dr. Zoda. "You deliberately deceived us, you old fool. It must have _just slipped your mind_ that the planet had been the site of a full-blown massacre? _Yes?_"

"Oh...I'm so sorry. There wasn't time to explain and I was afraid you wouldn't accept the mission if you were aware of the planet's horrendous past. Thus, you can see why it must remain secret." He quickly changed the subject. "So, I have another huge piece of news for you, Fayt."

The bluenette curled an eyebrow. "Specifically for me?"

"Yes," the doctor replied, taking a computer display pad out of his pocket and leisurely walking over. "I've been going over the body scans of you and your crew and I've analyzed the data our probes have picked up from the collapse of the 4-D wall between the universes. And I began to get an inkling of what triggered your accidental power manifestation that began this whole affair...and my hunch was just confirmed before your arrival."

The curiosity was unbearable, like the high-pitched squeals of those witches on broomsticks that look like Sophia outside of Aquios ("_Arcane Star!_"). Jumping out of their seats, they all rushed over to stand beside Fayt in order to see what Dr. Zoda was going to show him. "This is what...rather **who**, activated your power back on that fateful day and brought the scourge of the Killers upon us."

Fayt's heart was thumping against his rib cage, like a trapped lion trying desperately to escape. Dr. Zoda slowly lowered the panel for everyone to see and every speck of air was instantaneously sucked out of his lungs and the colour in his face bled into the floor. _No, it can't be…_

"MOM!?"

Nel crossed her arms and dipped her chin into her shirt, thunderstruck. "Son-of-a-bitch!" she blurted out.

**NEL :O! TO BE CONTINUED!**

(A/N: And the final twist! What? But how could...? All will be explained in the next chapter, which is most likely the last chapter. I've been waiting restlessly for SO long to reveal who was behind the 'accidental' power manifestation in Chapter 1! Let's just say that everything is connected. So, I hope you know what enemy I'm referring to for the witches that kind of look like Sophia and always yell 'ARCANE STAR' really annoyingly. Die die! So yes, Fayt has post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Hopefully you noticed that he exhibited many of the symptoms in the story. The movie 'Reign Over Me' helped me write him like that, and the main character would ignore or get really angry at close people who said he needed help. Oh! So a little more about the library. Sometimes I envision our minds as libraries, where each memory (or future scenerio) is a book, and some of the older memories which are hard to remember completely are like old books missing pages. The bookcase at the front of the library is the really important stuff that made you who you are. As for the wedding!! OMG surprise surprise!! haha. Too bad it's just a scenerio. Or is it foreshadowing? Fayt thought it would be JP or some other guy Cliff marries! Hmm Fayt in a tux?? ...DUCK!! Watch out for the sparks!)


	21. Chapter 21: Real Love is Forever

**Dual Desire**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt

Rating: PG

Summary: When the source of Fayt's original power manifestation is revealed, the cause of Maria's strange behaviour pales in comparison. The ultimate battle against the Killers draws near, and Ophelia's rebellion on Mars requires aid. But the crew discovers wartime intelligence isn't always reliable - can Han & Luke step up to the task - and what about poor JP? Just as exhilarating, Cliff & Albel finally settle scores. Find out if Fayt's dreams come true in the thrilling, Gaia-inspired conclusion of Dual Desire.

Shoutouts: Zelavril - HOLY CRAP! That is the longest review you've ever written! My mouth dropped to the floor like Albel in this chapter! But I LOVE it & it was well worth the wait. Actually, I feel the same way as you when writing shonen-ai and yaoi! I really outdid myself with that Albel rampage scene didn't I :D? You know what makes me kinda sad though? I only have 2 favourites and 1 alert for this story! That's okay though because I love writing this anyways. I hope I did it justice with this ending! Wrote it with you in mind :D Spectralwings - How's it going? Well this is it I guess. This super long story finally comes to an end. Oh, I'm sorry to both of you that this chapter is so long! I tried to shorten it but I just couldn't cut anything out!

**Chapter 21:**

"_I cannot face any of this without you Robert. Promise you'll always be there for me. Please."_

--

"He speaks the truth," came Ally's voice from the far end of the room. Fayt nearly levitated out of his skin before quickly spinning around. Spank was resting on her right shoulder, idly playing with a long, curly strand of her chestnut hair, waves of it falling voluptuously across her shoulders. He gave a cheesy smile to the visitors.

"Ryoko Leingod learned of your whereabouts and contacted me while you were gone," Ally continued, pausing to straighten her glasses after Spank clumsily knocked them. "Yes Fayt, I'm thrilled to inform you that your mother is alive and well."

The bluenette didn't know what to say. He began blinking uncontrollably and a stream of sensation ran the length of his body. Everyone was staring at him. Taking a deep breath, like he was breathing for the very first time, tides of relief washed through his tired mind. He had convinced himself he had lost both of them, but his mother had made it to safety. That infinitesimal thread of hope that had always been buried within him was now splashing forth, carving his lips into a great, gleaming smile.

Ally was almost glowing as well. "She landed on planet Roak about three weeks ago, because the transport ship she was on experienced mechanical problems during the Executioner attack. She's been desperately trying to find you, but communications with the outer planets are still spotty, as you are well aware. I sent one of my ships to personally pick her up — which required authorization with our allies — as transportation between star systems is now severely limited."

Suddenly Fayt was encased in Cliff's arms, and he gladly received the congratulatory hug from behind. "Dude, I'm so fuckin' happy for ya! This has gotta be the best piece of news we've received in a long, long time," the blond declared, kissing Fayt softly on the neck before releasing him. "But hold yer horses. What's the deal with Fayt's power then Dr. Z?"

The doctor cleared his throat, while Nel stood beside him, the last pools of pink finally draining out of her face from her prior outburst. "Well, this is where it gets interesting….and rather somber. Dr. Ryoko explained to us that she is able to activate Fayt's power from afar, something which was to be disabled once Fayt was told about his genetic alterations and left to make decisions for himself. To make a long story short, news trickled into Roak that Dr. Robert had died and she was understandably devastated. There is a theory among scientists that the parallel universe of Daemonium is where our souls go when we die, and in her grief, she activated Fayt's power in hope of finding his whereabouts and of collapsing the 4-D wall between our universe and Daemonium. We all know what happened after that."

_Daemonium? _Fayt pondered, his head a tempest of thoughts. _Where spirits are able to act by taking physical form? She thought she could find him there? We hardly know anything about that place. She must have been desperate, like me. I can't believe..._

Ally suddenly began speaking, forcing Fayt's eyes to focus on her. "You'll be glad to know that your mom will be arriving by this evening, so you may ask her all about it yourself." Spank had jumped down from her shoulder and was now circling around Albel, trying to leap up and swat at the Elicoorian's two long braids. "In the meantime, now that we have Apocalypse, **we must prepare for war.**"

Maria shifted her weight as she stood, brushing one hand down the back of her hair. "I for one would like to talk to Mrs. Leingod once she arrives," she proclaimed, making sure her thoughts were known before moving on. "Prime Minister, what is the latest news on the opposition against the Killers?"

"Ally, Maria...one moment," Dr. Zoda interrupted, raising one hand. "Before we continue, Miss Traydor needs to know that my analysis of her scans show she was brainwashed by the Killers on Titan."

Maria's face immediately lit up like a scarlet sunset, a mixture of emotions imprisoning her speech.

Stepping forward, Sophia's big eyes shone under the Midgardian sunrays streaming through the window. "I knew something was wrong with Maria, especially when she acted so oddly during that Kevin guy's coup."

"Yes," Dr. Zoda continued. "I'm not sure what their strategy was, but the Killers wanted her to believe that blowing up Mars was the best option to get rid of them. And I guess that line of thought — 'the end justifies the means' — persisted with her behaviour during the coup. I think they wanted her to make Fayt feel isolated. I'm glad that you never considered such a senseless course of action, Fayt." At this, the bluenette broke eye contact with Dr. Zoda and fought to keep his face from flushing. "Anyways, there's nothing to worry about now as the effects of the brainwashing have worn off."

Han leaned close to Luke and whispered "_Coulda fooled me,_" while they both scrutinized Maria.

"Well now that that has been cleared up, let's move on with our plans," Mirage suggested. Everyone nodded and took a seat at the conference table.

Dr. Zoda explained that they had had a virtual conference with the other star systems implicated in the Killer invasion. Some offered their ships to deliver the airborne virus to the Sol System planets overtaken by the Killers, which Dr. Zoda had graciously accepted. With the virus delivered to every affected planet or moon from Mercury to Neptune, the natural armour of the Killers across the Sol System was currently being disabled without them even knowing it. The time for an offensive was now.

They would mount an attack against the Killers on Mars, striking at the heart of the enemy, at their base for launching their tyrannical crusades. In addition, with the rebellion lead by Ophelia continuing on Mars and in desperate need of outside support, the plan was unmistakably the best course of action. The crew would unleash Apocalypse upon their arrival and eradicate the Killers from Mars once and for all.

As Dr. Zoda and Ally laid out the strategy, a huge grin was creeping across Cliff's face, revealing all of his teeth. "Yo, I got an idea! How 'bout we send the Vendeeni to Uranus to battle the Killers there, eh?"

Sophia covered her mouth, trying to suppress a laugh. A snort slipped out instead. Albel, on the other hand, was staring at Cliff with a sheer look of befuddlement. "What did you say, worm?"

"Oh well, y'know, there's a ring of debris around Uranus, Albel..." he began, pausing for Comic Cliff Effect, eyes locked on Albel. The latter's mouth was sagging like a double chin. "...And the Vendeeni will have alotta fun navigatin' their way through that one," he quickly added.

"Cliff, I hope you remember that the Vendeeni are on **our** side now," Mirage pointed out, chuckling.

Everyone let out a good laugh, and Albel finally figured out that Cliff wasn't referring to his butthole. Scowling, he decided a sly course of revenge would be to pour baby powder into the motor of the blond's hair dryer. The scowl suddenly morphed into a nefarious grin.

As the meeting concluded, Ally invited her guests back to her home in the trees, where Fayt kept himself occupied by holo-conferencing with the leaders of the allied star systems. Although they felt bad leaving John Paul on the Saviour, it was much easier that way, as they imagined it wouldn't go over too well if Dr. Zoda and Ally found out they had been harbouring a Killer all along.

Fayt's mother arrived shortly before dinner, beaming down directly into Ally's house and rushing to embrace her son the instant he materialized into her vision, tears trickling from the corners of her eyes. It was a truly joyful moment, for everyone, and Fayt soon introduced each of them in turn to her. Cliff made a comment that Fayt had inherited her brilliant blue hair — which was a 'more beautiful shade than any ocean in the galaxy' — and they all heard her laugh for the first time.

A wonderful and lively dinner feast followed where everybody took turns telling Ryoko stories from their adventures, starting from Fayt's landing on Vanguard III, to their showdown with Luther, to Luke and Han's sudden arrival, all the way to the magical planets of Midgard and Chimos. As the bluenette sat back in his chair and bathed in the warmth of the genial atmosphere, he suddenly felt whole again being surrounded by people he loved — they were a family, he felt it with all his heart. Yes, it was like the dinner with Cliff's relatives...except this was Fayt's family, a family bigger than he had ever imagined.

After a dessert highlighted by cake smothered over Spank's face, Fayt and Ryoko slipped off to one of the guest rooms as the others lazed around and continued to chat over wine while the crickets chirped outside, each trying to push tomorrow's terrible task out of mind in order to just enjoy the moment. Later on while Cliff was taking a leak, he heard the sound of quiet sobs passing through the wall from the guest room next door.

_Give me a reason to believe that you're gone  
I see your shadow so I know they're all wrong  
Moonlight on the soft brown earth it leads me to where you lay  
They took you away from me but now I'm taking you home_

_I will stay forever here with you, My love  
The softly spoken words you gave me  
Even in death our love goes on  
__And I can't love you, anymore than I do_

_Some say I'm crazy for my love, Oh my love  
But no bonds can hold me from your side, Oh my love  
They don't know you can't leave me  
They don't hear you singing to me_

_People die, but real love is forever..._

_- Evanescence's song 'Even in Death'_

--

"**INCOMING!**"

A roaring blast rattled through the bowels of the Saviour and the lights flickered overhead. Immediately after exiting gravitic warp outside Mars, they had come under attack. _I can't believe this is it...it's really happening_, Fayt thought, surveying the fleet of Killer ships between them and the red planet.

A husky voice crackled through the comm link. "_Allied vessels, this is President Widjaja speaking. All ships have now cleared hyperspace. The Klausian fleet will protect the Saviour on its way to Mars, while the Tetragenesis, Rondo Lukian, and Hyda fleets will engage the enemy's ships head on. Good luck, fighters of the free world._"

Mirage and Cliff were manning the helm. "We've just received word that our other allies have arrived at their designated planets throughout the Sol System and have begun their offensives," the female Klausian announced, lips curled. "And Ally has sent a transmission from Venus promising to host a grand party once this is all over."

The crew grinned weakly as another torpedo battered the side of the ship. Off to the right of the front screen, a colossal battle was taking place as blinding blazes of radiance and multiple shockwaves sullied the still blackness of space. "Cross your fingers cuz shields are holdin'," Cliff sanguinely stated.

The Saviour was surrounded by Klausian vessels, and the ones out front were bombarding Mars' shield with a barrage of antimatter fire. Suddenly, one of the ships protecting them exploded into a planet-shaped firestorm, complete with a ring of destructive energy that rocked the Saviour and sent it veering off course. Mars' spacestation had been the culprit.

Seconds later, Klaus III's mothership detonated its creation cannon, pulverizing two Killer asteroid ships and knocking out a section of Mars' planetary shield. This got the enemy's attention and a group of formerly Federation ships swerved towards the Saviour, and one of them had its own creation cannon.

"SHIIIT!" Han bellowed. "We're not gonna make it to the surface in time! Whatchamacallit Wijiboard's ship needs time to reload its cannon…but we'll be toast by then!"

Something caught John Paul's eyes. "Hey look everybody! Who the hell is that?"

A set of peculiar looking ships had burst into being nearby and suddenly Han and Luke's hearts were pounding like drums. "No, it can't be...it's impossible…! How, how did they…?" Luke shouted, trying to control his tongue. "IT'S THE REBEL ALLIANCE! From our universe!"

"_This is Admiral Ackbar speaking. We've been informed by the Vendeeni that you've been protecting two of our greatest heroes who we thought we had lost. It appears you could use some assistance. Stand by._"

The Killer-controlled Federation vessel was soon overwhelmed by the new ships and the Saviour continued on by itself, landing on the Martian surface without too much difficulty. On the way down, the crew witnessed a cornucopia of smoke columns billowing up from sections of the ecumenopolis that enveloped the planet. Clearly, the World War was taking its toll on the once beauteous globe.

Rushing off the ship, the group was primed for combat. They had landed on one of the few patches of red earth left on Mars that formed a park between two cities. The area had become a battlefield, the dividing point between a rebellion stronghold and a Killer-controlled city. A cloud of haze hung in the air far above them, filtering out the rays of the sun. The chilling sound of phase shots and claps of symbology echoed across the landscape, bouncing off the walls of the surrounding city. It was a scene of mayhem.

John Paul came cautiously down the walkway from the Saviour and instantly stopped in his tracks. "**He's here**," he declared ominously, his hair changing colours with unusual speed as the walkway closed.

"Who's here?" Nel questioned while hunched over in her battle stance, daggers drawn.

"Our leader...the guy who tried to kill you on Titan, in the stadium," he replied, holding his arms tight to his chest and shivering.

Fayt scanned in front of him, his cheeks tightened in trepidation, and suddenly noticed Ophelia heading towards them from the rebel camp in the distance. "But I thought the reports said he was surveying the takeover on Neptune's moons!"

The others had noticed Ophelia now and were looking in her direction. All of a sudden there was a surge of cerulean light and she stopped in her tracks, her face screwed up in pain, and she toppled to the ground. Behind her stood the Killers' leader, holding a blade dripping with freshly-drawn blood.

"NOOO!" the bluenette screamed, running towards Ophelia with his sword drawn. The others soon found themselves surrounded by Killers and they had to fight through them in order to follow.

"Hey, assmuncher! This's for attackin' Midgard!" Cliff roared, smashing a fist writhing with electricity into the chest of the closest Killer. "And this's for almost killin' us on the way to Titan!" he barked, kicking the crotch of another with all his might ('I call that one _Severed Dick!_') before throwing one of his burly arms over his head and striking a Killer sneaking up behind him. Next he sprinted ahead to where one of the enemies was bearing down on Han and tapped it on the shoulder: "Now this one's for ruinin' the meeting to form a new Pangalactic Congress!" Like a gust of wind he circled round the Killer with hustle and ease, pummeling under his adversary's chin and flinging it skyward with a crushing uppercut. "AND THIS'S FOR CAUSIN' MY BABY SO MUCH ANXIETY AND DISTRESS!" His visage a twisted fury of wrath, Cliff launched himself up in the air and came barreling down on two Killers, smashing them both into the ground and staining the earth an even deeper shade of crimson.

Cliff, Nel, Albel, Sophia, Mirage, Luke, Han, and JP finally caught up to Fayt. The latter was kneeling beside Ophelia's unconscious body. "Han, can you take her back to the ship and tend to her wound?" Solo nodded silently and lifted her into his arms before vanishing in a transporter beam. The leader of the Killers had been standing there the whole time, watching, and sporting a terrible grin.

"FAYT! You're too close to him!" JP shouted tensely from behind.

Fayt ignored the admonition, standing up and gripping his sword until his arms shook. "**YOU!** Your tyranny ends here and now!"

But before he could move a muscle, a searing pain shattered his head and he collapsed to his knees, holding his hands over his ears. _I don't think so…that virus was a clever little trick, but I'll be having the last laugh..._said a menacing voice in his mind. The Killers' leader was invading his mentality and thus paralyzing his body. He was forcing his way into the depths of the bluenette's psyche, to a place that was private, no _sacred_, to Fayt's being. No matter how hard the Earthling tried, he couldn't stop the violation, the disease, the intruder from accessing his memory...prying open those locked doors, going ever deeper. Images of the past flashed through his mind and suddenly, the Killer was nearing Fayt's most treasured memory: the day he and Cliff first met. Raw emotion fueled by categorical anger was amassing in his capillaries as there was no way his foe was defiling _that_ place. "NO! **GET OUT OF MY HEAD!**"

A wicked laugh was the only response. _Just give in and it will be all over…_

"OH NO!" Cliff cried, struggling to lift himself off the ground. "Fayt's power is manifesting in defence! He'll blow out this whole damn side of Mars! Somebody...DO SOMETHING!"

Luke knew this was his moment. Fighting to lift his right hand and not lose his mind, he desperately called upon the Force. Shrieking, the Killer leader was suddenly flung backwards, losing his mental grip on the crew, and as he fell he cracked his head on a rock.

Sturdy arms lifted Fayt from the soil and gently brushed him off. "Whoa, that was too close. Okay kid, now's our chance. Let's finish what we came to do and go da fuck home."

The bluenette briefly gazed up into eyes as precious as sapphire, his smile lines stretching. "Everyone! We must summon Apocalypse now!" He fretfully turned to JP. "We don't know if this will work, but we'll tell it to spare those Killers who don't support this invasion, who have good hearts like you."

"No, I know it has to be done. Don't let me stop you," JP replied softly, scratching his arm. "If this is the last time we speak, I want you all to know that I enjoyed every single minute spent with you."

Luke strolled over and placed an arm on JP's shoulder while the symbology users formed a circle by linking hands. "WAIT! Where's Maria?!" Sophia suddenly cried.

In all the commotion, they hadn't noticed that Maria was still surrounded near the ship, and it appeared she was limping as well. "Hurry maggots! Get. Her. Over here! For this spell we need all you fools!"

JP dashed over, gun blazing, and Luke hurled his lightsaber in the direction of the Killers around Maria. Spinning like the shimmering disk of a spiral galaxy, the saber buzzed at each full rotation and sliced through the remaining Killers, soaring left and right in the air as guided by Luke's invisible powers.

"**HURRY!**" Squinting through the bedlam on the battlefield, Cliff could see a phase cannon being set up on the Killers' side of the park, aimed at the crew.

Holding Maria under one arm, JP helped her limp over to the others. She joined the circle and they began the summoning of the most powerful symbology in the universe. A giant rune formed in the centre of the circle and the casters started feeling pulses of current travelling between them, across their arms and over their chests. A whirling wind began to pick up, whipping their hair and accoutrements upward. JP and Luke spotted a black mist spiraling in the whites of the crew's eyes, and it was actually flowing out and hovering around them, making them glow enigmatically obsidian. It was at this moment that the Killers fired the cannon.

Above the casters, the stygian haze in the sky had thickened into a cloud and was slowly corkscrewing down towards the rune like a tempestuous tornado. It was as if the entire Martian sky was being drawn into the heart of the symbology. The people on the battlefield ceased their struggles and watched as the sizeable phase blast hit the side of this mass and dissipated into oblivion. With the twister about to touch the rune, Fayt glanced over at Cliff and saw to his surprise that he was staring back, smiling peacefully.

When the cyclone made contact with the crew, the energy flowing between them reached its max and their hands began slipping apart. With a rolling boom, they were suddenly flung backwards and everyone let out their own sort of stunned scream. The inauspicious, snaking stormcloud swiftly melted away and the ground beneath them began to shudder. Thanks to Apocalypse, **Mars had come alive**.

The planet's weapons against the Killers were the elements of life. With a deafening roar, slabs of the land in the battlefield began to crack and collapse...but only underneath the enemy. Fayt watched in awe as whole battalions of Killers vanished beneath the surface. Once the shaking settled, the terrain was scattered with lone islands of untouched earth on which stood extremely frightened Martians and still quite a number of Killers. Next came the lightning. Across the entire planet, thunderstorms sent a battery of electric bolts down into the cities, the feelers selectively picking out Killers and electrocuting them on the spot. At the end of this lightning blitz, the number of Killers left was even less.

The sky cleared and a frosty breeze tickled Fayt's cheeks. Suddenly, spires of ice materialized around the remaining enemy humanoids, splintering and cracking as they grew. He couldn't see it, but these ice-crystal death chambers were mainly targeting the Killers in buildings across the planet. When the ice finished its formation, the sound of profuse shattering reverberated across the world as each of the frigid structures exploded into a million pieces. And for the finale of the spell, Mars displayed its full fury by ephemerally becoming erubescent once again. Worldwide, the gates of hell opened and pyres of vermeil flame emerged from underneath the lingering Killers and brutally swallowed them up. Following the fading bonfires, only a few Killers remained unscathed in the park. Was JP one of them?

Turning hesitantly around, Fayt glimpsed JP standing within the shadow of the Saviour, wide-eyed and definitely alive. There was now a vertical cliff where the Killers' leader had been laying and beyond the land had sunk down and disappeared. The air reeked of smoke and cinders. It was deathly quiet.

But then, suddenly, like the first bud of spring, the sound of someone cheering met the bluenette's ears. It grew louder and louder. His friends, they were all clapping. Shaking some dust and dirt out of his frizzed-up hair, he saw Cliff beaming before him, and soon something was rushing up from within — a feeling — one that people search for all their lives. Everything was going to be okay, just like Cliff had said. **It was over**. The blond reached out for an embrace and Fayt's world closed in around him.

--

When Fayt flicked open his eyes, instead of seeing Cliff's face he froze in shock as he found himself staring straight into a nebula. **In space**. _What the hell just happened?_

It was the weirdest thing. He was standing on nothing, just floating in what appeared to be outer space, surrounded by blackness, stars, and the nebula. But he could breathe. And he wasn't frozen. And he wasn't drifting around, but standing still. Observing. And gradually his feeling of alarm turned to awe.

Being caught within a nebula was absolutely spectacular. And this nebula was pure gold. Heavenly clouds of exquisite interstellar dust surrounded him and gloriously dripped like viscous honey outwards from the arcane and obscure centre above. The rich shades of yellow and orange waltzed all around him like waves of wispy cirrus clouds carrying millions of glittering embryonic stars inside their feathery plumes. The beauty was staggering, the colour divine. And through it all, capricious stars were descending and smoldering like dazzling volcanic embers, leaving their splendorous nest to look for homes of their own.

A hand rested on Fayt's shoulder and he spun around. There stood a breathtaking woman; strong, well-built and dressed in warrior garb, with fierce looking eyes and sleek, defined cheek bones. Her long hair was mesmerizing — it was essentially an inferno. Each strand was a separate lick of luminous flame. She looked him in the eye for a moment before turning away to gaze nonchalantly up into the nebula. The flick of her head sent her hair flying outwards and it flashed, rippled, and bounced; simply captivating.

"Thank you, for awakening me," she said coolly, touching her finger to a tiny star falling past her. "Fayt, do you ever take the time to just stop everything in your life and gaze at the stars, to marvel at their majesty away from the obscuring light of the cities? To appreciate and truly enjoy everything around you, especially all the natural wonders of the universe and the worlds within?"

The bluenette stared off into space, literally, for a short time. "Well ya, I guess. I may have no idea why, but I'm doing it right now aren't I?"

The woman chuckled, continuing to avoid eye contact. "It's amazing how many humanoids in Eternal Sphere miss such a simple thing." A flick of the wrist. "Listen, I wanted a chance to return your favour and reward you for everything you've done to return balance to the universe. This nebula is part of your reward; there is perhaps nothing more beautiful in existence." She paused and put a finger to her lip. "Well, okay, to you maybe one thing is...he's blond, with blue eyes and a goofy smile...anyways, I know all about the makings of the universe, so Fayt, ask me any question you like and I will answer."

_Any question? About life, the universe, everything? _he pondered. He knew right away what it would be. "Uhh, it's something we all want to know right? What the meaning of life is...why we are here..."

Another chuckle, this time louder. "Ahh, you humanoids. Always wanting more, never appreciating what you have. Afraid of loss. Fayt, you must remember that 'meaning' is a word that you and your kind have created. It's the same with the word 'time'. These are not inherent things in the universe. There is no meaning as you would know it, there is only life. And life always wants to keep on living, because it's a miracle in itself. And, with every death comes more life. One power binds the multiverse together and it lasts forever. Just be there for those you love and spend 'time' with them, don't be afraid of loss because there **is** an afterlife on every planet. And there's only one way to reach it. Just accept."

Fayt's stood silently with his head in a bit of a spin, but through all the mumbo-jumbo, it somehow made sense. The woman turned to face him. "I'm sorry, you'll have to go now. You can rest easy because I'll take care of restoring the 4-D wall between the universes, when the time is right." And just like that, before the bluenette had a chance to respond, she snapped her fingers and darkness surrounded him.

The next moment Fayt was back on the battlefield, and Cliff was loosening his warm embrace. "Hey man, whaddaya know...that's two-for-two now ain't it!? Wow, two times you've saved the universe...and we only fought **and** got spunky **twice**!"

Standing there looking tremendously confused, the bluenette finally glanced down at himself and pinched the side of his stomach. "**I** didn't save the universe, Cliff. **We** did. All of us." Then he was wiping some grime off the blond's face. "Umm, can you pinch me please?"

Cliff furrowed a brow, shrugged, and pinched the top of Fayt's buttcheek. The latter winced. "OWWW! Not that hard..._**fool**_!" the bluenette joked, tones of Albel tracing his voice. _Okay, I know, this is real_. "Cliff, once we get back home I have the craziest story to tell you." And with that the two of them linked hands and walked back to the ship, the rest of the group cheerily tagging along behind.

--

Back on the Saviour, the crew said goodbye to Ophelia and promised they'd see her at the 'Meeting for a New Pangalactic Congress II'. Reports arrived that Killers on the other Sol System planets and moons had in fact left the besieged surfaces for space, where it was easier for the allied fleet to finish them off. Without their leader, all chains of command collapsed. Some Killers had chosen to stay on the respective planets, and Fayt promised on the galactical news that they could stay and integrate into life there.

Resting in the lounge with a huge pizza as the ship blasted off from Mars, Fayt suddenly heard the loudest, deepest scream ever known to man ricocheting down the hallway followed by a furious "**WHAT THE FUCK!?**". Cliff, covered in white powder like a tree had dumped its snow on him, was soon hovering in the doorway with eyes of pure rage, water dripping from his hair onto the towel hugging his waist and flakes falling from his eyelashes. "I'm gonna kill him!! THIS TIME IT'S GONNA HAPPEN! The little bitch is going to hell...TODAY!" He stomped away like a mad animal, in search of Albel.

As soon as the blond left the lounge, Fayt burst into hysterics, rolling around on the cushy bench.

Later, with all on the bridge but Albel, who was nowhere to be found, the console in front of Maria started beeping. "We've got another distress call from an allied ship in the area, should we go and help?"

The crew glanced around at one another, heads nodding. Cliff leaned over so his mouth was closer to Mirage and Fayt, who were standing nearby. "Heh, could that distress be...**in someone's paannts**?"

Sophia and JP began snort-laughing while Mirage stared at him with a look of horror. She had had it with his stupid and immature comments. There was a sudden blur of motion and when everything became clear again, Mirage had Cliff pinned to the floor with his arm twisted around his back and her elbow digging into his shoulder blade. He began whining and kicking his legs. "You know, I'd prefer a more worthy opponent," Mirage mocked, sneakily using one of his catch phrases. Now everyone was laughing.

JP's hair shifted back to champagne blond as he choked back snickering. "Why not!? Let's go and help them. Because with the Killers dealt with...my god...we have all the time in the world!"

Fayt crossed his arms and tilted his chin downwards. "You read my mind," he responded sarcastically.

_The worst is over now and we can breathe again  
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away  
There's so much left to learn, __and no one left to fight__  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_

_- Seether featuring Amy Lee 'Broken'_

--

_**One Month Later… **_

Fayt was sitting with his mom in a quiet room, away from the hustle and bustle outside the door. "...I just wish that Luke and Han could be here to see this, but I guess it can't be helped."

"They seemed really nice," Ryoko responded demurely. "That Han was a real character and there was something indescribable about Luke. But we had to get them all back to their universe before the 4-D wall returned. It's funny it was the Millennium Falcon that was sending out that distress signal."

"Yeah, those Killers took over everything," the bluenette remarked, hanging his head. "Well, at least Albel's here right? It might have been different if Ally hadn't pardoned him at the party for the whole assassination thing. But she had good reason to after what we did."

His mother nodded, a pretty rhododendron flower gracing her ear. "So how are the therapy sessions going for you?"

"I think they're really helping me work through my issues. Of course, it will take time, I know, to get over dad being gone…for the pain to fade...but being with Cliff helps so much..."

Ryoko shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Fayt, now that we're being so honest, I want you to know that I'm thinking about euthanasia. They're still pressing for my confinement and I just don't think I can do it alone. I've finally accepted what I hadn't before, when I started all this...my fate."

The bluenette expected himself to be furious at this sudden revelation — assisted suicide was recognized as a true choice in the Federation — but for some strange reason, it was like he knew this was coming all along…and he understood why. "I'm here for you, you know that, and I don't want you to do this. But I know it's not the same and I know he's waiting for you. Take time to make your decision, okay mom?"

Her face brightened again and she gathered him into a hug. "The best man in the universe needs a man of equal greatness to love. Cliff's perfect for you."

"Thanks mom, it means a lot," he replied, straightening his tuxedo. "I'm so excited...and nervous."

"You'll be fine, honey, you always are."

And with that, Fayt stood up and went into the waiting area where Cliff was loitering...and looking absolutely ravishing. He was going to love this man forever. A vision of their first meeting in the dungeon on Vanguard flashed through his mind and he grabbed onto the blond's hand and squeezed. _I'm here to kidnap you Cliff_, Fayt mused, staring up into those endless ocean eyes. _Away from your mom, Savannah, Natalia, Mirage, and Logan… Hmm, did I make the right decision post-Luther? Yes, __**yes I did**__...Seduction complete. _

Music began playing and they walked hand-in-hand down the aisle of a hall made of glass, with people sitting in rows of chairs. The media was sneaking holograms from an airship outside. Flowers were everywhere. On the little red stage at the end of the aisle, Leila was standing there, jumping up and down and waving, beside the rest of the Star Ocean crew, including JP.

Fayt felt genuinely serene, complete, and happy. He had spread peace throughout the universe once more, an enduring peace that would last a millennia.

**THE END?**

(A/N: NOPE! I've decided there is gonna be an epilogue! And it's almost going to be entirely a lemon! SWEET. But it will definately be important to the story. ZEL! I KNOW you loved the Cliff moments in the chapter! It turned out funnier than I imagined! Yay, they finally get their wedding and Fayt's mom is there! Speaking of Ryoko...controversial the ending wouldn't you say XD?! I like to be different. Did you like the Ryoko twist of her being the cause of the power manifestation? I am so happy Mirage finally snapped. Did you guys like Apocalypse? It feels so good to finish this story, I'm so proud of it, but I'm sad it's almost done too ;(. And Albel, don't worry! We all know Uranus is beautiful...even if it does have a ring of debris!)


	22. An Epic Epilogue

**Dual Desire - This is THE last chapter, please review and favourite my story if you haven't yet!**

By: 4quintessence

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.

Pairing: CliffxFayt

Rating: R for dirty fun

Summary: There isn't much to say here. You'll have to read to find out. You basically get to see what's next for the happy couple. There might even be a surprise or two ;D. But it's mostly the long, hot lemon I've been promising! What a way to end it!

Shoutouts: Zelavril - Well, this is it. What you've been waiting for! It really is an 'Epic Epilogue', especially if you measure it in Yaoi terms (and in detail)! Haha. I'm so glad you liked the Graduation scene in Chapter 17. I put a lot of thought into that, and attempted to write it in a way I hadn't written before. I was really proud of my gory Albel descriptions too! I really wanted to get Albel's personality spot on with that. I loved the Reaper's Wine phrase, I'm so glad I came up with it. And yes, I was thinking of Greek Mythology and how it was such a polar opposite, you're so clever! But I must admit, these last few chapters took a lot out of me, it's hard to explain, but they almost became tedious and less enjoyable when I was writing them, but then I'm so happy afterwards so it's confusing. I've been so inspired by that Edmund White book that I want to keep writing, but it has to be enjoyable right?! I do have an idea for a third story too! Anyways, thank you once again for sticking with me through this long story! It's extraordinary, now that I look over it, and I couldn't have done it without you. Good luck in Uni!

**Epilogue (Censored Version, there is a link to the Uncut Version at the place where the NC-17 paragraphs are cut out):**

_Oh, thinkin' about our younger years  
There was only you and me  
We were young and wild and __**free**__  
Now, nothing can take you away from me  
We've been down that road before  
But that's over now  
You keep me coming back for more…_

Warm and nourishing beams of youthful morning sunlight crept across the bluenette's exposed arm, eyes fluttering open and body stirring under the silky sheets. His sleep had been deep and refreshing, and moments before he had been dreaming of soaring among the crimson-stained clouds like a carefree phoenix from their earlier adventures on Chimos. And now that he was awake he still felt like he was floating — today life was light, airy, promising. Stretching his arms upward over a dozing Cliff, he turned to stare straight at his husband's handsome face (A/N: Whoa that sounds weird!). A string of tingly sensations started in his toes and unraveled up to his nose whilst a memory of lounging in a hammock on Klaus III suddenly sprang to mind…

Finally, at last, one of Fayt's many dreams had actually come true. The disbelief was hard to shake, but he tried his best as he abruptly catapulted out of bed and bounced over to the window, wriggling his unholy mess of hair back and forth in hopes it would settle into some sort of style. As the curtains glided to one side, a fantasia of colours greeted his eyes from the flower garden below, and the long glass sunroom in the centre was reflecting sunrays and sunflowers off its shiny surface. He pressed the button to open the window and the invigorating aroma of the ocean swept into the room and refused to leave, like visiting relatives you haven't seen for a while. _It's been so long! _Fayt mused, sucking in swathes of sweet seaweed smell he so missed when he travelled.

Their new home was a little piece of paradise, the castle he had always wanted. The manicured yards surrounding it were so vast it seemed they just went on and on: sparkling fountains, glassy-smooth ponds, lush gardens, and lawns dotted with bunnies splayed out in all directions from the castle, meeting the ocean on one side and neighbouring estates on the other. The Saviour sat basking in the sun on the grass outside the front gate, casting a mighty shadow across the vicinity. Remote Midgard II, with its prime real estate and sunny climate, was the place to be for the rich and powerful. Before Fayt had been neither, and now he was both, whether he liked it or not.

A peculiar late summer breeze was picking up outside and it passed across the rose garden, picking up loose velvet petals and twirling them up in a mini-tornado of air before they slowly floated back to the surface. Turning away from the patiently waiting day, the bluenette toddled back towards the bed as the wind suddenly grew in strength, carrying oodles of petals dyed peach-pink and garnet-red up past the castle wall so it soon appeared to be raining roses through the three floor-to-roof windows that framed their semi-circular, wood-paneled room.

As a motley of maroon-tinted light fluttered across the chamber, Fayt eased himself back into bed and nudged up against Cliff's arm. Instinctively, the Klausian lifted it up just enough for Fayt to snuggle underneath, closer to his big, bare chest. As the strong arm came back down and enveloped him, Fayt let out a long sigh, curled up, and listened to Cliff's steady rhythmic breathing and the soothing beat of his heart. Without explanation or warning, tiny tears began trickling from the corner of his eyes and he started humming a tune, his entire body filling with thankfulness and understanding as he thought about everything that had happened, and especially what the woman in the nebula had said.

_Now, nothing can change what you mean to me  
There's a lot that I could say  
But just hold me now  
Cause our love will light the way_

**_Baby you're all that I want  
When you're lying here in my arms  
I'm finding it hard to believe  
We're in heaven_**

**_And love is all that I need  
And I found it there in your heart  
It isn't too hard to see  
We're in heaven_**

_Now our dreams are coming true  
Through the good times and the bad  
I'll be standing there by you..._

**_We're in heaven!_**

_And love is all that I need  
And I found it there in your heart  
It isn't too hard to see  
We're in heaven_

_Oooohoooh oooh, Oooohoooh oooh_

_- My favourite song ever: DJ Sammy & Yanou featuring Do 'Heaven'_

Fayt's blurry eyes were drawn to a recent picture of his mother across the room on a dresser. He hadn't attended her euthanization, it would've been too painful. Stubborn as he was, he figured he could forever protect her from the consequences of what she had done to the Eternal Sphere, the chaos she had caused, but now he conceded that he couldn't be by her side **all **the time. He understood that while he had Cliff, she had no one. Of course she had him, but it just wasn't the same. She was free now, free from the jail cell that surely awaited her otherwise. There was also the fact that for so long he had thought — and perhaps accepted — that she was gone after the Hyda incident, which helped him in coping. The whole thing was the only thorn in his side now, but it was a pain he could bear. His parents were back together.

Tearing his gaze away from the 3-D photo, the bluenette forced himself to think about other things; only positive thoughts.

Like before his wedding ceremony (which had been a quickly planned, small affair — apart from the inevitable media circus) when Maria and John Paul had suggested that Nel and Clair should spontaneously get married alongside him and Cliff to make it a double wedding. Always the traditional one ('_It's not even in a church!_'), Nel had cried back to Maria and JP over all the sudden commotion over the idea: "Fuck that shit!", which caused the crew to laugh hysterically and led to Sophia choking on the milk she was drinking until it came shooting out her nose and all over Albel. Fayt found the new foul-mouthed Nel rather amusing, though he never could get her to say why she had taken a sudden liking to dirty language. Amazingly, Sophia and Albel had stayed together after that incident, while Mirage and Dr. Zoda had grown quite fond of each other — in the conference room his gaze had always met hers for longer than anyone else — and it appeared that they were dating as well.

Feeling a tickle on the top of his head, Fayt left his thoughts and glanced upward to find that Cliff was awake and had been silently staring at him as he lay tucked in his little cove. He received a gentle kiss on the forehead by the Klausian, which sent a sudden rouse of sensation down to his groin.

"Mornin' Mr. Leingod-Fittir," the blond said with a touch of playfulness. "Yup...I can see those cogs cranking away in there again. What's so funny, eh?"

"Oh, I was just thinking about the big hullabaloo before our wedding," Fayt replied softly, chuckling under his breath, his tears now just a little sprinkling of salt among his eyes. Cliff had morning wood, again, and the bluenette could feel it poking into his curled leg, like a kid wanting attention.

"**UUGGHH!**" Cliff shouted suddenly, imitating Albel's reaction to having milk sprayed all over him. They both laughed.

While they ogled into each other eyes, emerald to sapphire, sapphire to emerald, one of the blond's hands slid up under Fayt's pajama top and rested on his chest, index finger swirling around smooth, sensitive nipple-skin.

"I really like that painting you put up in the bathroom," Fayt commented, smiling impishly. "The colours are really neat and I saw a lot of happiness in it…even if you forgot which way it was supposed to go."

"OH HA HA," Cliff replied sarcastically, delicately batting the bluenette's cheek. "Yeah, thank you for remindin' me of my galaxy-renowned ineptness. Y'know, although you probably didn't make it out, you're actually in that painting. I call it 'The Blue Blur of the Battle Simulator' cause I was watchin' ya downstairs when you were playin'. But seriously, I'm pretty sure it's right side up now," he declared, his expression betraying his words.

"Uh huh," Fayt responded, tightening his lips and rolling his eyes. He suddenly realized he was hard now too, and he marvelled at how horniness can jump up on someone so clandestinely. While they had been talking the rose-petal rainstorm outside had waned, but now it was picking up again and a strong zephyr blew a handful of petals in through the open window and scattered them across the floor — little pools of love. A couple landed on the foot of the bed, a stark contrast against the snow-white sheets.

Stretching his body out, Fayt pushed against Cliff and rolled him onto his back. He slipped off his sleeping shirt and lay on top of his truelove, the hard and chiseled muscles of the Klausian sweeping against his smooth, skinny frame. Warmth spread between them like the lifesaving heat from a bonfire on a cold winter's night. Closing his shutters, he spread his lips and leaned down to meet Cliff's own, sucking and tasting their plumpness with his mouth so full of yearning. His toes played footsies with Cliff's as they kissed, his crotch hot and painful as it brushed lightly past the body below him. Soon their tongues rose like the crest of a wave and met in between them, crashing, circling, slurping among lasciviously locking lips.

Noses grazed past each other and even eyelashes became briefly intertwined, so close were their faces together. The breaths hovering between were steamy and humid, causing the bluenette's face to flush a pretty shade of pink. Cliff then decided to grab Fayt's bottom lip within his own and begin nibbling tenderly on the perfect, puffy flesh. Raising his hands from the bed the blond grasped the skinny of Fayt's stomach on either side, the touch causing Fayt to instantly inhale deeply and arch his back as his skin had suddenly become so sensitive, so _raw_. It sent a sprig of lightning firing through his body, so real he could have sworn Cliff was summoning a bolt symbology on the spot. Soon, it felt as though they were frolicking among the clouds, the thunder of their hearts and the electricity of their touch intensifying on a grand scale as the candescent sheets twisted and floated in the buoyant breeze.

_You don't have to move, you don't have to speak  
**Lips for biting**  
You're staring me down, a glance makes me weak  
**Eyes for striking**_

_Now I'm twisting up when I'm twisted with you  
**Brush so lightly**  
And time trickles down, and I'm breathing for _two  
**_Squeeze so tightly_**

_I'll be fine, you'll be fine  
This moment seems so long  
Don't waste now, precious time  
We'll dance inside the song_

_What makes the one to shake you down?  
Each touch belongs to each new sound  
Say now you want to shake me too  
Move down to me, slip into you_

_He sinks in my mind as he sheds through his skin  
**Touch sight tastes like fire**  
Hands do now what eyes no longer defend  
**Hands to fuel desire…**_

_- Song by The All-American Rejects 'Dance Inside'_

While a storm of passion was brewing inside the bedroom, outside the ocean beckoned for calm, feeling this moment deserved stillness and serenity. Heeding the call, the wind left as quickly as it had come, stirring the air one last time and sending a swell of fragrant blossoms in through the window. Even the sheets became still and settled back down onto the bed, only to be thrown to one side as Cliff summarily slipped out from underneath his lover and pinned Fayt to the bed, straddling his stomach. He twisted his torso around to guide the bluenette's pajama bottoms off his legs, before turning back around and sliding off his own. He was totally in control.

"Oh man," Cliff exhaled plangently, on the verge of a whistle. "You're so fuckin' hot with yer hair all messed up like that." A quick touch and then a pause. "Hold up. I'm getting a flashback here: Fallin' outta the sky of Chimos, sca-ree mad scientist hair...or was it bird's nest? No matter though, I remember it was super sexy." He shrugged, a twinkle in his eyes and his lips rising asymmetrically.

Fayt couldn't tell whether he was being palavered or just teased. No matter; his brain function had tripped and fallen off a cliff, primal needs taking over. He managed to crinkle his nose and stick out his tongue as Cliff's smooth buttocks sensationally chafed against his member.

The Klausian eased himself downward over Fayt's body and suckled in a circle around the latter's Adam's apple, the tips of his beach-blond hair tickling and rubbing his neck like tiny little masseuses. Fayt cupped his hands behind his head on the pillow in a dreamy, relaxed state, and looked down into his sweetheart's awesome eyes which kept flitting up his way every now and then to gauge those sensitive spots. Moving southward, Cliff bestowed a line of cushy butterfly kisses directly down the skinny narrow between Fayt's pecs and overtop the wispy string of sapphire hair that passed over his belly button on his lower stomach. Simultaneously, the blond lightly and seductively ran both hands down the boundary of Fayt's body and along that youthfully sleek arc preceding the protrusion of his hips.

Wasting no further time, Cliff grabbed the base of Fayt's attentive cock and aimed it into his warm, spongy mouth, closing in around it. This quickly caused the bluenette to push his hips forward with a creak of the bed, biting his bottom lip and moaning monotonous melodies of pleasure. Cliff kept his fingers busy by using them to flick and caress the satiny skin of his lover's nipples, creating that strange but definitively erotic sensation only they could give. Starting at the head and running his lips back and forth over its supremely divine bulging rim pumped to bursting with blood, the Klausian wrapped his tongue around the top of Fayt's dick before plunging downwards and taking it all in his mouth, suppressing his gag reflex and feeling the veins of the cock throbbing across his tongue.

Fayt was in heaven. The spectacularly supple succulence of the back of Cliff's mouth sent waves of fiery bliss pummeling his mind and body as he stroked and coddled the sericeous blond strands of hair, its owner bobbing his head up and down in smooth, skillful motion. Fayt suddenly felt toasty fingertips massaging his sensuous opening in splendid circles. Pulling his legs forward and letting them flop to the side, he gripped the silvery sheets as Cliff continued sucking his dick while also easing a spit-slicked finger through his tight, needy hole. Sweat began forcing its way out into freedom, this late-summer day wrapping warmth and florid aroma around the couple, steeped in the throes of passion.

Admiring Cliff's powerful pecs plastered with perspiration and his athletic arms bulging with animalism, Fayt bent forward to grab his honey and pull him upwards so that they were face-to-face. As the bluenette grinded his body into Cliff's generous chest and abs, they French-kissed like it was the last time their lips would ever meet again. His arms clamped around the blond's brawny back, hands exploring the ripple of his shoulders all the way down to the salacious curve of his lower spine and the rounded rise of his buttocks. Cliff's golden hair fell like the branches of a willow tree around his companion's face and met the cerulean locks on the surface of the pillow. The unbearable friction of their cocks against one another was driving them into a frenzy, so much so that the bluenette's heart did a backflip.

"Take me," Cliff begged, breathless and hot-faced.

* * *

Oh man. This part of the Yaoi is too hot for fanfiction. If you want the NC-17 sexiness type the following into your address bar: 4-quintessence(dot)livejournal(dot)com(slash)78840(dot)html and scroll down to the red squigglies and read from there.

* * *

Cliff collapsed on the bed on his stomach and Fayt swiftly climbed on his back and began nibbling on the nape of his neck and the back of his biceps, pressing his hands hard into Cliff's muscular shoulder blades and massaging them in a spherical motion. There was a sudden echoing bang from outside the open window, and Cliff turned his head to look.

Way off in the distance...was that a flash of light? "Fayt, look!" the Klausian gasped. "They're settin' off fireworks in Celebria! The celebrations for the new Pangalactic Commonwealth have begun!"

Fayt barely turned his head to catch a peek. Ravishing reds and royal blues and raging greens were exploding over the nearby city; palm trees, rings, and smiley faces all scorched into the clear blue sky, and even the new symbology-entwined dragon fireworks were on display, racing across the landscape with fire-laced jaws, like they were alive.

"That's nice," the bluenette finally replied, shrugging. He had more important things to attend to.

"Exactly, there'll be plenty-a time for that later," Cliff said with levity, turning back to his lover and letting him slide off his back as he shifted to sit on the bottom edge of the bed. "You ready for the Fittir fuck machine?"

"Uhh, hell ya! Hope I don't break it!"

* * *

This scene is also cut out because it is NC-17. :p

* * *

The two lovers crumpled to the bed, sweaty and exhausted, chests just rising and falling fireworks. After dozing for a bit, Fayt turned to face Cliff, aeruginous stars in his eyes. "Well, have you thought of a name yet?" he queried, gently laying a hand on the precious little bulge just beginning to push through Cliff's abs.

"Yeah, sorta. If it's a girl, I was thinkin' Ryoko, y'know, in your mother's honour. It's a cool name." Fayt grinned, moved by his husband's thoughtfulness. "But if it's a boy, I was thinkin'…"

They both stared at each other, their lower eyelids forming crescent moons. "...Master Bates," they both blurted out, immediately rocking the bed with laughter.

"So, looking forward to our first Senate meeting this evening?" Fayt asked, kissing Cliff's chin.

At first the Klausian didn't respond, not liking the thought of having this moment end. Although, he **would** have to eat **soon** because he was having harsh cravings for the middle of Oreo cookies. Not the biscuit part, just the middle..._**ONLY THE FUCKING MIDDLE!**_ "…WHY THE HELL DID THEY ELECT US?" he finally cried with a mixture of irritation and mirth, wondering why he had just gotten so emotional over food.

"Oh you were just dying to have a big, fat role in the new government — don't even deny it. I can't believe it's all actually happening. You know how it is, they always elect the crazy people to office…"

Cliff let out a hearty laugh (Afterwards: _Did he just call me fat?_).

"It's true!" the bluenette protested. "You were — and are — crazy to stick by me all this time, through thick and thin, Albel and Luther, Niklas and Ameena, Sophia and Leila, and all the crap in between."

Cliff lifted one hand and ran his fingers along the rim of Fayt's ear. "Aww, kid, c'mon now...that ain't called crazy. That's called love."

As Fayt finally conceded and chuckled in response, he promised right then and there that unlike his parents, he would spend as much time as possible with the ones he loved. Cause when it comes right down to it, you're never going to get that time back, and every second counts.

_When I'm with you, I'll make every second count  
Cause I miss you, Whenever you're not around  
When I kiss you, I still get butterflies years from now  
I'll make every second count  
When I'm with you…_

_- Faber Drive 'When I'm With You'_

**THE END**


End file.
